Fallen Star
by Soreye
Summary: One girl is faced with an impossible choice, caught between two impossible people. Will she risk the destruction of Earth for the return of what she loves? Or choose to sacrifice everything to save them all? 10th Doctor. Epilogue added Dec. 22nd, 2010.
1. The Beginning from the End

**Title:** Fallen Star  
**Pairings:** none  
**Rating:** T/PG-13 for violence and death.  
**Spoilers:** All new series Doctor Who through the Waters of Mars, Logopolis, and the 1996 TV Movie.

**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who and its original characters and trademarks belong to the BBC. 'The Show' is copyright Hawk Nelson. I am making no profits from this work. Any similarities to The End of Time are entirely coincidental. Any original characters were created solely by me, and resemblance to fictional or real people is entirely coincidental.

* * *

Oh, what to say in an author's note. I'm tempted to ramble on, but I'll try to keep it short. I started this fanfiction in October of 2007. I was in 8th grade, and it was just a small concept. I eventually abandoned it. In about December of 2008, I took the idea, poked it, and made a plotline on a giant piece of paper. After writing in random spurts, I eventually finished the fanfiction on December 22nd of 2009. This story was written _before_ the End of Time and was not influenced by it. It could even be viewed as an AU fic. I know that there are some errors in the story. If you see any, feel free to point them out and I will correct them. I'm sorry for any Americanisms! I've tried my best to make everything correct.

I hope you enjoy it! Any constructive reviews would be much appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Beginning from the End**

I slammed my Algebra 2 book shut. It was an unusually cold August day, rainy and wet even though it should have been summer. I closed my eyes, rubbed my forehead, and tried to get rid of my headache. Sounds of my brother playing video games on the Wii came into my room. I tried to will the sounds away. It didn't work.

"JUSTIN! TURN IT DOWN!" I yelled.

The next second, Justin flew into the room. (Justin Justice? Come on, who in their right mind names their kid that? Okay, I've heard worse names.)

"MU-UUUM! Seren's pro_crest_inating again!" he screamed down the hall.

"It's pro_crast_inating, you dork. And Mum's not home, she went grocery shopping. And I'm not procrastinating, I'm thinking!"

"You can think?"

I threw a book at his head.

"Go get me an aspirin. My head hurts."

"Mum said we can't touch the medicine when she's not home." he said, as if mum was secretly listening.

"You'll need more than medicine if you don't shut up," I threatened.

He ran out of the room, probably to go play his stupid video games. I followed him out of my room and went into the kitchen with a sigh. I took some medicine for my headache.

In a daze of boredom, I checked the calendar. August 20th, 2012. Boring. I flipped ahead a few months, to Christmas, and the planned 2 weeks to be spent in Cardiff. 'With family', it read. Who has family in Cardiff? It would be boring anyways. I wondered if Clara could come with us...

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," I said, even though I knew no one would hear me.

I walked to the front door and took a look out of the window. A tall man stood on the doorstep, looking like some sort of loon. He wore a suit and a long trench coat, and was soaked from the rain. He even wore trainers, with a _suit_! At the moment, he was fixing his hair in the reflection of the tinted glass of our door. I caught my own reflection. I looked like an average almost-17-year old, dark brown hair, blue eyes, maybe a bit underweight and stressed.

In contrast, I looked through the glass to the man. He had a mess of brown hair and an impatient expression. He seemed harmless, like he was a friend of my dad's come to visit. I raised an eyebrow and, despite my better judgment, opened the door. The man didn't look dangerous, just a bit...eccentric. You _can_ be eccentric and _not _dangerous, right?

"Hello!" Trainer-Man said with this brilliant smile the moment I opened the door. "You busy?"

"Um -" I said, speechless.

"You must be Seren! Don't worry, I know your mother. Well," he tilted his head sideways, "-sort of. But that's not important. What is, apparently, is this letter." He whipped an envelope out of his pocket and held it between his thumb and finger.

I held out my hand for the letter, but he snatched it away and flapped it about as he spoke.

"I have been told, with very specific instructions, to tell you that _'this letter is not to be opened until it is opened.'_ How does that sound?"

"This letter is not to be opened until it is opened?"

"Yes, so it would appear."

"So how am I supposed to know when it is opened?"

Trainer-Man smiled mysteriously.

"Oh, trust me, you'll know. Speaking of which, I should be going," he glanced around as he spoke, "your mother should be coming back any minute."

I stopped in mid-thought. "I thought you were a friend of my mother's?" I asked.

The man smiled and winked.

"Oh...I lied." He handed me the letter impatiently. "But take this, don't worry - it's only paper. Just remember: _'This letter is not to be opened until it is opened.'_ If you open it before then, the entire universe will implode. Or something like that." Trainer-Man stepped off the porch in one long, Converse-clad stride.

"Wait!" I said urgently, and stepped over the threshold. "What does any of this letter stuff have to do with me?"

He considered for a moment, looking at the sky. I followed his gaze, up into the dark sky. It was barely visible because of the city lights.

"Oh, Seren Justice. Everything."

He turned again and made his smiling way across the London street, splashing through puddles.

"Who are you?" I called after him.

He never answered. But I still didn't read the letter.


	2. A Day in the Life

Note: The song featured in this chapter is called 'The Show' by Hawk Nelson.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2 – A Day In The Life**

Two weeks later, I woke up to my stereo blasting in my face.

_Uh-uh-everywhere I go, it's all been taken. Pick me up a book about new sensations. T-t-take me to a place_

_with no frustration. Better back it up before I lose my patience. Here we go. Let's take 'em to the show, wa-oh. C'mon, turn on your radio. Wa-oh, let's go. Let's take 'em to the show, wa-oh. C'mon, turn up your radio_

I groaned and turned _down_ my radio. I checked the time. It was 6 AM; why did I set my alarm so early? Summer school ended days ago, I didn't have any - then it hit me.

The first day of school. I groaned and rolled out of bed.

* * *

An hour and 27 minutes later, I walked into school with a thermos of coffee in one hand and a binder in the other.

"Seren!" Someone shouted, and I turned to see my best friend, Clara. She was blonde and pretty, and had moved here from America two years ago. Her dad was a director in some computer company, and she had been devastated by the move. We attracted each other like magnets, she loved to talk and listen to music more than I did.

She squealed and hugged me.

"Clara! How was Minnesota?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Boring. It rained the whole time."

"It does that here."

"Yeah, but they have lakes to blame it on," she laughed, and I didn't get it.

We walked to homeroom together, swapping summer stories - me about summer school (I had failed Algebra 2 the first time around and chose to take it again during the summer), and her about her so-called 'adventures' in Minnesota. We said hello to random people on the way.

The warning bell rung, and we stepped into our homeroom classroom.

* * *

_"...And finally, we remind students to not linger on the school grounds. Please exit the building as soon as possible after the bell has rung. Any students remaining on school property that are not attending clubs or detention will be asked to leave. Thank you."_

The new teacher put on a face as announcements finished. He looked about 30, but his beard made him look 40. Clara kicked me with a sideways glance, she loved to poke fun at teachers. I ignored her. The teacher shuffled to the front of the room and started the inevitable 'welcome speech' that all teachers are probably born knowing.

"Hello! I am Mr. Trellers, your homeroom teacher. I teach maths and physics, do-not-have-me-catch-you-text-messaging-during-lessons, blah blah blah, please do not stick gum on the desks, please don't cheat children: we expect more of you, blah blah blah, stay out of trouble, blah blah blah, if you have any questions please don't ask me, _Seren Justice turn off your phone now_."

I smiled, embarrassed, and switched off the beeping mobile.

"Oh, and the most important of all: Have fun and make friends!" he said sarcastically. The bell rung, and Mr. Trellers waved dismissively at his under impressed students. "And Goodbye!"

Clara gave me a look when we got out of the classroom.

"Crazy? Or just lazy?"

"I don't care. All I care is that I have him 4th period for maths and I almost failed _this summer_."

She smiled empathetically.

"Yeah, I'm stuck with him 4th, too."

"Haha. See ya," I said as I rounded the corner to my next lesson.

"Yeah, adios! ¡Tengo clase de Espanõl!"

"Sorry?"

We laughed and headed our separate ways.

* * *

Later, I told her about Trainer Man.

"So I'm in the kitchen and the doorbell rings. Mom's not home, but I get the door anyways. And there's this guy - he looks completely bonkers - wearing a suit and a trench coat AND trainers!"

"What kind?"

"What kind of what?"

"Tennis shoes, idiot!"

"Uhh...Converse high tops, I think."

Clara smiled like she was a part of some Converse club. She was wearing the same ones Trainer Man had worn, but in pink.

"And he says 'Hello! Are you busy?'," I continued, "and then 'Don't worry, I know your mother!' Just a bit weird, but then he hands me a letter and says 'this letter is not to be opened-"

"Justice and Johnson!"

Clara looked at me sideways. I sighed. This is what always happened last year.

"What was so interesting that you had to interrupt the rest of us to talk about? Hmm?"

"Um, well, Seren was telling me about how yesterday this man wearing tennis shoes,-" _Trainers_, I mentally corrected her,_ this isn't Minnesota._ "Gave her this letter and then, well, that's when you interrupted us."

_Oh god, Clara._

"I interrupted _you?_"

I kicked Clara really hard.

"No, sir, sorry. We should not have been talking, sorry!" I apologized for us, and kicked Clara again. Really hard.

"Okay, since it's the first day I'll let it go. But, you all have homework tonight. And second...what happened to this letter?"

"What?"

He frowned, but before he could say anything else I continued.

"It's at home."

"You didn't open it?"

"Well, he said something about waiting," I said, and it made perfect sense to me.

"Kids," he said sarcastically. The bell rung, but not before we received our first assignment of the year.

"I blame Trainer Man," I said to Clara on our way out.


	3. Christmas

**Chapter 3 – Christmas**

The next few months flew by. Soon I had forgotten about Trainer Man, as most people would in my situation. The boring humdrum of school, home, family, and friends beat every interesting thought out of my head. Christmas approached, and my mother was anxious to get out of London.

"With all that's happened the past few years at Christmas, I wouldn't be surprised if we were attacked by robot Santas!" she said, with a laugh.

In the end we decided to go to Cardiff, to visit my grandparents and cousins. The car ride was boring enough, but then there was the repeated statements of "She's all grown up!" after our long-overdue arrival. I finally escaped the family greeting to talk to my cousins. They were mostly younger or older than me, except for Mira.

Mira was very shy. She was a few months older than me, with blonde hair the same color as our fathers'. She would wind a strand of it around her finger, say something, then pinch it back into shape. She did this again and again until finally I asked her what we could do instead of sitting around all day.

"Hmm...I dunno," she replied. "We could go shopping?"

I begged some money off Dad and we were off, away to a new shopping centre.


	4. The Man and the Beast

Note: Claire's is a popular store with (cheap) accessories for preteens and teenagers. Debenhams is a department store that I found on Wikipedia.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – ****The Man and the Beast**

We were in Claire's when I saw him again.

At first I didn't recognize him, but I saw his shoes and knew it was the same man. Trainer Man. Hmm...I'd have to figure out his name. He wore the same brown pinstriped suit and brown coat as before. He was staring at me, slightly narrowing his eyes. I hoped he wouldn't walk up to us.

He did.

"Hurry up..." he whispered to me.

"Are you stalking me?" I said loudly, and Mira looked at me, concerned. She made a very big show of pulling me out of the way of this stranger.

"What, no, I was just looking at a present for my...niece! Do you think she would like this scarf?" He pushed Mira gently to the side, and she walked the few steps to the door, ready to call for help.

"Found anything yet?" Trainer Man whispered to me, pretending to be considering the different accessories.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"What? Is this some sort of act? It's not working," he whispered so quietly I could barely hear it.

"Why do you keep following me?"

He looked right into my eyes for a moment, I was seriously freaked out. Somehow I wanted to trust him, a complete stranger. I should have opened the letter.

"Please tell me you know who I am," he said, adding "Oh, I sound like River Song!" under his breath.

"Get away from me!" I pushed him and stepped back.

Trainer Man looked at me sadly, and said, "Of course. Not yet." He left, before the assistant and Mira could stop him or call for the police.

"We should go," Mira said, "I'll call home, get us a ride. We're not walking."

I took a deep breath.

"No, why shouldn't we stay? We'll keep an eye out, stay in the stores where people can see us, get a ride in an hour or two. I'm not ruining Christmas."

"Seren -" I gave her a stern look. Something was up, and I was determined to find it out eventually.

An hour later, I had almost completely forgot about Trainer Man when an alarm sounded around the mall.

"Come on! I knew we should've left." Mira yelled. She grabbed my arm to lead me to the nearest exit.

It was a fire alarm. A policeman was herding everyone out of the building through the food court. A strange scream came from inside Debenhams, and a girl ran into the store, followed by Trainer Man.

"Seren!" Mira screamed at me as I followed them into the store. I heard an unearthly scream that was so loud, it left my ears ringing.

The store was eerily empty, the lights dim, small fire alarms flashing on the walls. Something crashed into the wall, causing the noise to stop.

"Hello?" I yelled, "Anybody here? We're supposed to evacuate, there's a fire or something!"

I heard a whisper and turned around.

"Don't let her see you," It was the man again, talking to someone hiding behind a clothes rack.

"Who is that?" I stepped towards the rack, craning my neck to see who was behind it.

"Run," the man said, and she ran. Her hair whipped out behind her, dark brown, longer than mine. She could have been a few years older than me, but I couldn't tell from behind.

"Who are you?" I yelled, but a loud crash came from behind me as something very large and very angry flew at me.

"Don't move," the man said, but I turned around. A very large pterodactyl-like-_alien_ was behind me, squawking away.

"Oh m -" The alien (A real alien! No way!) lurched forward and I was cut off. It jerkily headed towards me, like I was a piece of meat it was going to eat. Oh wait, I _was_.

I stepped back and slipped on something, like 'damsels in distress' always do in movies. I fell flat and ungracefully on my butt and picked up what I'd slipped on. I looked at the thing I'd picked up. It was a small jar filled with a thick oil, labeled "Krillitane Oil! WARNING!"in scribbled handwriting, with a hazardous chemical symbol.

I looked around. The man was fumbling with an oversized pen. There was no sign of the girl. I was on my own here. I looked at the oil, and on an impulse, aimed carefully and threw the jar at the monster.

It shattered violently, spraying the alien with the oil stuff. It screamed another ear-piercing shriek, and I ran. Trainer Man was close behind me, yelling "RUN!" at the top of his lungs. He tried to grab my hand to pull me faster but I shrugged away.

The alien exploded.

We ran towards the exterior doors, and I avoided most of the splatter. When I was safely outside, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. Police were in the distance, sirens ringing. A few ambulances were there to treat the injured, but they were waved off as a black car sped up to the building. I spotted Mira, running from person to person and probably asking for me.

Before I ran towards the people in the parking lot, Trainer Man stopped me. His coat whipped around him in the wind.

"Don't say a word. Forget about this. Forget it all."

"Who are you?" I asked. He just ignored me and started off in another direction. He jogged towards a few empty buildings, to a shining blue phone box and a girl standing next to it. I felt a sentimental itching in my brain. I had an intense feeling of déjà vu, as if I'd been there before. Or would be someday.

The girl stood staring at Trainer Man, laughing and looking at me.

"Where to?" she shouted. Her voice carried on the wind. It was familiar...but I couldn't quite place it.

"Seren!" Mira yelled as she spotted me. The girl and Trainer Man had already disappeared when I looked back. I shivered. The wind had picked up a bit.

"What happened? Why did you go runnin' off like that? I tried to call you but you didn't answer!" she continued, the chattiest she'd ever been.

We walked the 15 minutes back to her house in silence. I didn't tell her about Trainer Man or the alien. Ha, like anyone would believe me.


	5. Examinations

**Chapter 5 – Examinations**

The return to school was less than I expected. I didn't have much to say (not that anyone would believe me), and nothing of consequence had happened to any of my friends over the winter break. I continued on with school. I failed every mathematical project set in front of me, and hung out with friends. Spring came, and I studied for exams like there was no tomorrow and continued on in my life's routine.

I kept waiting for my adventurous life to begin again, but it never did. Nothing changed. Nothing ever changed. I searched the Internet for aliens and information on Trainer Man. Life still continued as usual. I couldn't find anything special, anything at all, and certainly not about me. I would sit on my bed for hours, playing absentmindedly with my necklace or notebook or the letter, just thinking of what to do next. I didn't try hard enough.

Eventually, I gave up. It was nearing the end of June, and final exams were approaching. I needed to pass or take another summer school course. I studied during all of my free time. As the exams ended, one by one, I relaxed.

I was the first to finish Language, the last to finish Maths. The class had two exams left, then we would be home free.

The exam was easy, our teacher lazy. The teacher quickly graded our papers.

"Those who failed deserved it, that's all I'm saying," he announced. I be We spent the extra time after the exam talking. Mr. Trellers left the room to yell at some kid banging around the hallways, and the room exploded in noise.

"When do the final grades come out?" I asked Clara nervously.

"In a few weeks. Don't freak," she said, "it's no big deal. You need to chill. It's just school."

I wasn't relaxing. I needed to pass that course...

"Look," she continued, "Just go look in the grade book. I'm sure it's in his desk."

I sighed, and she dragged me to the front of the room, up to Mr. Treller's unoccupied desk. Clara was very forceful sometimes, and she wasn't afraid of getting into trouble. I knew it was stupid, but there was no arguing with her. I opened a few drawers, searching for the blue teacher's notebook we'd seen many days before. Clara shuffled through the stack of papers, almost knocking over a nearly empty coffee mug.

One of the drawers jammed, I jostled it a bit until it came open. A single file laid in the drawer, underneath a large pen. Or section of pipe. Or shiny plastic gadget thing.

Clara picked it up. Her eyebrows furrowed. It looked like a toy. Different pieces of skinny pipe had been stuck together, with three small ones at one end. It had a sort of switch connected roughly with two screws. It was painted in metallic golds and silvers, but looked the worse for wear. A few wires were sticking out; whatever it was, it was broken. I took it from her hands. It was longer than my hand, and was slightly awkward to hold. I squeezed it a bit, and felt a button give slightly under my palm.

_Zap!_

The tip extended suddenly, and a laser beam came out of one end and hit the coffee mug on the desk. The ceramic exploded, and Clara and I stepped back in time to avoid the shards pelting towards us.

"Oh my god," Clara said. She grabbed the laser-pen-thing and dropped it back in the desk, slamming the drawer shut. We rushed back to our seats, shaking and avoiding the stares of the rest of the class. No one had been paying attention to us, so they probably just thought that we had broken the mug.

"What was that?" Mr. Trellers said when he came back into the room. He walked up to his coffee-splattered desk. After examining the marks left by the mug shattering, his face flashed with emotions. Anger. Fear. Suspicion. Rage. He put a hand to his head, mouthing something that looked like 'so-morphine' or 'so-more-fic'.

"Who opened my desk?" he asked darkly. "This isn't funny, who got into my desk?"

Silence.

I tried not to glance at Clara. This was beyond angry. He was scary, overcome with rage.

"Okay? No one wants to talk. We'll just sit here until whoever did it confesses," he said mock-happily. "And last exams start in a few minutes, a little incentive to be honest."

I shook my head. Since when did anyone in my class care that much about grades? I was the only person in the room to be worried about my grade in the class.

We sat there for the next ten minutes. In about the same amount of time, the bell would ring and we would have to go to our next exam. If Mr. Trellers released us, we would be okay. He was fiddling with something he'd taken from a drawer, I guessed it was the...laser thing. He wrote a note down after staring at it for a minute, then went back to shuffling through papers. Half the class was sneakily texting or listening to their mp3 player, they obviously didn't care or want to get involved.

I took off my necklace and swung it around my finger, to have something to do. Clara smirked at me for a moment, and I smiled dangerously. In my moment of distraction, the locket clanged to the desk loudly. Mr. Trellers looked immediately at me.

"Justice," he said dangerously. I shuffled to his desk, crossing my arms. I was definitely not passing this exam. He probably guess we'd found the...thing, too.

"I'll have to confiscate that necklace," he said sarcastically. "You can have a parent or guardian pick it up from the office." I sighed with relief. He was just annoyed, not angry. "But don't think that gets you off the hook. You look pretty guilty to me," he half joked. For a moment I thought he wasn't really taking the mug accident seriously, but something flashed in his eyes, swirling.

I stepped back reflexively.

"Necklace," he said sternly.

He held out his hand and I dropped the locket into it. He turned it over in his hands, looking at the unusual markings.

"Strange," he said softly.

"What's strange?"

"Have you ever opened it?" he asked suddenly.

"No, why should I? There's nothing inside of it."

"If you've never opened it, how do you know?"

I was at a loss for words. The bell rang, and he dismissed us, never mentioning the unsolved case of the broken mug. I looked back at the necklace in his hands, and I wanted to open that stupid locket more than I'd ever realized.


	6. A Star Again

**Chapter 6 - A Star Again  
**

I passed my exams, every last one of them. Even with that stupid locket on my mind, I passed everything and Maths to boot. Mum and dad couldn't come in to get the locket, that last day. They had work, and it was my fault that I'd lost it. School was over, and there wasn't time to go into the office. I was a little frustrated. The rules applied to cell phones and iPods more than jewelry.

"Silly of you, really, Seren. You're so careless, and that's all you have left of your real parents," mum said. She never said anything jealous or harsh about my or Justin's birth parents and adoptions, except then.

That night, mum was working the late shift at the hospital and dad was on a business trip. I laid in bed, unable to sleep yet too tired to stay up.

At midnight I heard a knock on the door. I cursed my parents for not being home. Now was not the right time for a burglar. (But wait...burglars don't knock, do they?) I stuck my head into Justin's room, but he was sound asleep.

No one was at the door, not even a shadow when I turned on the porch light. I opened the door a crack, then all the way. No one was there, but an envelope had been taped to the outer door. '_Seren_' had been written in slanted, messy handwriting. Oh, not this letter nonsense again. I'd have a collection soon.

The envelope was heavy,_ it probably had a bomb in it_, I thought sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. Who would want to kill a random teenager? I could think of a few people. I quickly closed and bolted the door. I ran into my room, turning on all the lights as I went. As if that could protect me from the monsters...I almost chuckled. Monsters? No such thing as monsters. Only bad people, evil teachers, and the occasional alien in a shopping mall. Still, I locked the door to my room. That was what they did on TV before the evil thing got them, wasn't it? Great, my life had been turned into one big TV Show.

I felt safer sitting down, so I sat on my bed with my back to the wall. I was getting paranoid. My fingers fumbled with opening the envelope, then I turned it upside down the way I'd seen people do dramatically in movies.

All that fell out was my locket. Wait - my locket? Didn't Mr. Trellers have it? Why had he taped it to my door? How did he know where I lived?

I shook the envelope, but there wasn't - no, wait, it just hadn't slid out of the envelope when I'd dramatically turned it upside down. I pulled it out and sighed at my stupidity. Some things _did_ only happen in movies.

It wasn't much of a letter, just a piece of paper with strange symbols, circles, and lines on it. That definitely came from a Maths teacher, it looked like some strange Geometry problem. They seemed strangely scribbled, like an abbreviated message. On the bottom, six words had been printed in the same untidy and tilted style as the outside of the envelope.

_Have you ever wondered what's inside?_

I set the letter next to the one from Trainer Man, on my dresser. I held the locket up to the light. _Open me,_ it whispered._ You aren't alone now_, it said.

_Have you ever wondered what's inside?_

My fingers twitched. It had etchings on one side, ones I hadn't noticed before.

_Have you ever wondered what's inside?_

I turned the locket over in my hands, ran my thumb over the strange inscriptions. Could I open it? Should I wait? Why had it been given back to me? What part did Mr. Trellers play in this? What would happen when it was opened? _This letter is not to be opened until it is opened,_ I remembered. But what did Mr. Trellers and Trainer Man have in common?

_Have you ever wondered what's inside?_

So many questions, but only one answer was in sight. I wedged my nail underneath the catch, and the locket sprung open on its hinges.

A bright golden light came from inside the locket. _ It's open_, I thought.

I was blinded by the light, engulfed into its brilliance. I could feel something stop, something start ticking like clockwork. I felt my consciousness being tucked away, silly teenage human thoughts being stored into a part of my newly vast mind. One heart became two. I stared at the light. It was all I could see. I felt as if I were on fire. The fire felt...cold. Alone. Desolate. Desperate.

A fraction of a second had passed, and I could see again, and what I saw was more than I ever had before.

Smiling, I snapped the locket shut. My last memories as a Time Lord were missing, but I could solve that very quickly. _ It_ was open, I knew that now. I reached for one of the letters on my dresser.

I was back.


	7. Burning, Not Falling

**Chapter 7 - Burning, Not Falling**

I ripped open the letter with impatience. I guessed that both Trainer Man and Mr. Trellers were either Time Lords or humans who knew about me and the Chameleon Arch.

_Seren_, it read in Gallifreyian.

_Your memories will return soon. I'm sorry. One thing you will not remember, because you did not go through it: the ending of the Time War._

_Everyone lost. I'm so sorry. The Time War continued without you. Gallifrey burnt. There's nothing left now, not even dust. The War is Time Locked, all of it gone, gone forever._

_The Time Lords were all but destroyed._

_I'm so sorry._

A strange symbol replaced the signature, like a scribbled drawing of some human-like species' DNA, and a small post script caught my attention.

_P.S. Burn this letter._

I caught on the words.

_Gallifrey burnt._

I whispered them in their English translation. I couldn't say it properly, I couldn't speak that language anymore.

I read it over, and over. Gone...dead.

_The Time Lords were all but destroyed._

For a moment, it was incomprehensible, my senses were dulled after so much time as a simple, blind human. I reached out, sure that it was a lie.

Then, I felt it. My mind reached out psychically, hoping to find something in the space where Gallifrey used to sit in the back of my mind.

Nothing.

I was so alone, a tiny little spark. I kept up my mental barriers to ward off the worst of it, so I was trapped in my own mind, with walls as hard as rock.

But then...

I felt something. The brightest little fleck of existence, another Time Lord screaming for company, for me. I wanted to call out, but something stopped me. They couldn't see me, something was hiding me, my mind and my scent. I was invisible to this new person, whether I liked it or not.

I was an invisible existence, a magnificent being in a sea of volatile, meaningless humans. I'd never felt so alone, so lost.

It all happened in a moment, and in the next I was screaming into my pillow, crying and pounding and wishing I was dead and worse.

It was gone. Home was gone. All my wishes, future, and loves were lost. I had abandoned them, for a reason I couldn't even remember. I had hidden away in a human mind while they burnt. I left them to die, and they did. And somehow it was all my fault, because _if I'd stayed I could have saved them_, I screamed into my pillow.

For hours on end I mourned, each minute ticking by slowly and consciously painful.

I was alone, but I wasn't.

But I was.

I fell asleep screaming silently, scratching at my aching, tearful eyes.

_I ran down a steep hill, fire racing behind me. Sweat ran down my forehead. My feet ached from blisters. I ran through a forest, stumbled through growth and shimmering leaves. _

_Everything was shimmering now. The flame had engulfed almost everything, and it left such a heat wave the whole world looked almost underwater._

_Then I came back to reality. Smoke raced behind me. My nostrils filled with the bitter scent of singing hair. _

_The world became an orange blur of fire and sky and smoke._

_My life depended on running, so I did. I ran and ran. Farther and farther I ran as the fire came closer. Then I tripped. The fire, with hatred deep in the embers kept raging on around me. _

_I screamed at the noise that enveloped me. In a flash, it was gone. _

_I came within range to teleport to my new TARDIS, and I did. Words came to me, from far away._

_ "It's coming, can't you see? Run, run when it's here." _

_I set the controls, running and running, strangely numb. Earth, Earth was safe and away, no aliens if my history was correct. I'd have to use the Chameleon Arch, but that was simple. I would be young and human, and no one would find me and maybe I would preserve part of Gallifrey. I looked around my TARDIS, I guessed that I would never see the girl again. She was so young, I'd never bothered to set it from the default claustrophobic white. I flicked a switch and the drawer containing the Chameleon Arch slid open._

_I settled on a locket instead of a watch, adjusted the settings and set it on my head. Emergency Protocols would come into effect soon after. I started the process. The world was engulfed in light and pain, pain I could remember but not feel, and then I was in blackness and suffocating and..._

I awoke, screaming.

My first thought was _'It's all gone'_ and my second was _'What am I going to do?_'.

I couldn't stay here, moping and crying and mourning. I couldn't leave, there was nowhere to go, at all. I was alone and lost and fallen. I wanted to be in the stars, but at the same time I knew I could not travel with a lost planet in my wake. I was still falling, falling from the high seat as a Time Lady, falling from my happiness and joy and satisfaction with life.

I broke down then, my thoughts and emotions were so blurred by unimaginable grief. I slipped back into unconsciousness, earlier memories returning spitefully in my worst hours.

_We were evacuating, heading towards the TARDISes. _

_"The Cruciform's been taken"__, I heard one of many voices, as if we didn't know. I ran towards the exit, the only escape. The room of TARDISes was now empty. I was alone and abandoned, left to die. I ran around frantically._

_A man ran into the room, and I ran to him._

_"They're all gone! Do you...?" I said frantically. He pulled something from his pocket and ran for a pillar that appeared out of nowhere. I followed him across the hall, but he ran inside his hidden TARDIS before I could catch up. It seemed ready to take off without me, I reached it and pounded on it. "Take me with you!" I screamed._

_The door opened and he yanked me in by the arm. The man bounded to the black console and pressed buttons, leading us into flight. _

_"Thank you," I whispered. He set us into the vortex without a word._

_"Get out," he said. "You need to get off the planet. It's not safe. Not anymore. The Cruciform...they'll...it's the dr..." he trailed off, glanced at the ceiling of his TARDIS, and looked directly at me._

_"We have to fight, running is never the answer," I said carefully. _

_"Don't you see, my dear? The whole planet is in danger! If you were wise you would run," he said almost menacingly, caught between fear and pity. I stepped back from the stranger. When we landed, I opened the door carefully. It was inside the Citadel, somewhere safe on a street corner. I saw the orange sky fading as day became night. The strange man shuffled me impolitely out of the doorway of his TARDIS. _

_"It's coming, can't you see? Run, run when it's here. Run," he half-whispered this to himself, and disappeared into the darkness of his TARDIS. The light from the dematerialization mixed with the orange sky in a fuzzy haze..._

When I woke up this time, I was silent. I stared at the ceiling, my hand, my opened locket. I saw the unread Gallifreyian lettering on one of my letters. It was the letter that had come with my locket, one phrase in English, then Gallifreyian script to ensure I would not read them while I was still human.

It didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

I was stuck inside my head. Alone, defenseless, nothing but wind and rain and silence.

Utterly Alone.

That man, the one who had saved me with his advice, I owed him my life. Oh, if he were still alive, I would do anything. Anything for it to be back, anything for my lost planet. My family. My friends. Everyone I'd ever loved.

The letter still sat there, I couldn't help catching a glimpse of it, questions, it surged into my mind. I sighed and turned inevitably to the second and hastily written letter.

_I am sure that you have a lot of questions. _

_Address on the back. _

_Come when you are ready._

I flipped the crinkled paper, the address was written on a corner. I ripped the address off in a little scrap, and tucked it into my pocket. I didn't think about anything else, I just moved in empty actions. My brain didn't want to work it out, it didn't matter. Nothing did, I told myself stubbornly. I grabbed the other letter, stumbled into the living room. I shakily took a match and lit a corner of each letter, and tossed them into the disused fireplace.

The letters burnt.

Burning.

Burnt.

_Gallifrey burnt._

I crawled into the bathroom, bile rising into my throat. When I finished, I laid back onto the cold floor tiles, tears held back forcefully.

"Seren?" It was Justin, my fake little brother, with real worry apparent in his eyes. "You okay? Should I call mum?" An excuse tumbled out of my mouth with amazing speed.

"No. I just ate something bad. Go watch TV, kiddo. I'll be fine." His face crumpled at my voice. It didn't sound like Seren Justice, my accent had changed a bit. I attempted to imitate my former persona, trying too hard. "I'm fine! Go relax," I said lamely. He must have put it off to my illness, because he walked away with a shrug and a sigh.

I closed the door behind him, stripped away my crumpled clothes, and stumbled into the shower. I twisted the knobs for hot water, rushing it over my body and nearly scalding myself. I felt steam rise inside me, my veins on fire, burning. Burnt.

_Gallifrey burnt._

I switched off the hot water entirely, the cold filling my bones in chilling bliss. It fogged my mind, clearing out my steamed insides and tear-filled vision contrastingly. I felt raw and alive. I pulled a towel from the cupboards, dried off. I changed into new clothes, they seemed strange compared to the clothes I'd worn on Gallifrey. I watched my reflection carefully. I looked too sad, my eyes too old, skin too pale. I had to be strong. I would force myself to be.

When I walked out the door, I looked no different than I had for the extent of my human facade. The scrap of torn and crumpled paper with an address to a fancy neighborhood burned in my pocket and my conscious.

With this I left my human life behind. I was stronger now, and very broken. _You have to be broken to get stronger, you have to be broken to heal. That's how life works_, I thought. That's how I worked.


	8. In the Lion's Den

**Chapter 8 - The Lion's Den  
**

I stood outside the house. It was more like a mansion, set on a block next to other rich London households. It was something I hadn't expected. Still, I double-checked the address I'd torn from the letter and crumpled it into my pocket. I took a slow breath, tainted with car exhaust and Twenty First Century humans, and walked to the door.

The door had a red finish to it, something that reminded me of blood, which made me feel sick. I tentatively raised my fist to the door, and rapped my knuckles four times against the blooded wood.

Inside, someone dropped something, as though startled by my sudden knock. I stood back from the door, pausing, checking the address mentally. I checked my mental barriers for a moment, keeping them in line. They were still locked, I was invisible. I wondered if I should leave them down, but the door opened and interrupted my thoughts.

A woman stood in the doorway. Her blonde hair was twisted into a tight bun, and she was dressed smartly in a suit. I recognized her from somewhere, but I couldn't quite place it. A briefcase lay propped against the wall behind her, it appeared as if she'd just arrived home from work. Her expression was a mixture of decided arrogance and confusion.

"Can I help you?" she said crisply. I opened my mouth, unsure what to say. I looked her straight in the eye, painfully ignoring the quiet sounds of someone creeping to the edge of the hall.

"An envelope was taped to my door; it contained a locket and a letter with this address written on it. It said I should come here if I have questions. I have a lot of questions, actually, and I would like to know what is going on!" I said quietly, but fiercely. The lady's lips formed a silent oh, and turned around, expecting something. I stepped to the side, and my eyes slid into focus on the man standing there.

I stepped forward at a moment where some would've stepped back: he was a Time Lord. My every nerve was on fire, my brain an explosion of hope and despair. I could smell the scent of Time Lord sweat and hair and pheromones, over the truly alien mass of humanity standing next to me. I wanted to close my eyes in relief, relief that I wasn't alone, but I couldn't miss a second. Gallifrey was gone, but this was the closest thing that I had to getting it back.

He nodded, his head moved, and I caught his face in more detail. He was a little short, with short brown hair and the beginnings of a beard. He wore a simple black suit and tie. I remembered my human days with a slight disgust: this was my maths teacher. A fourth of the questions in my head disappeared, only to be replaced by twice as many.

The woman reacted quickly at his nod, ushering me in and closing the door. Her heels clacked unsurely on the tile. I didn't spare her a glance.

"I'm Lucy Saxon," she said courteously, "And this is my- my husband." She held out her hand, but I didn't shake it. "I'll make some tea," she said insignificantly, and I was left to stand in the entryway with this strange man.

I finally closed my eyes for a few, short seconds that felt like years. I could hardly tell he was there, standing on the edge of my consciousness. A dust speck next to the spark. There was a beacon out there, attracting attention, and we were much the opposite. I opened my eyes again and looked awkwardly away.

"Come in, the library's this way," he said shortly. I was ever the more aware of my two hearts jumping, my thoughts only on this small spark of hope in the room, less on the peculiar and dangerous situation I had found myself in. His eyes took one last sweep of me before he set off down the hall, I hesitantly followed him. I tried to politely control my gaze, the house was simply but elegantly furnished. I felt strange, my rubber trainers squeaked on the polished floors.

We entered the library, he gestured for me to sit down on a couch. The walls were lined with books, a desk stood at one end of the room, two small couches and a table were centered. I sat rigidly, about to open my mouth when the woman came into the room with the tea she'd promised.

"Thanks," he said quickly, and she set a tray on the table and left, shutting the door as if _she'd_ like to be rid of _us_.

I stared into my cup, but didn't take a sip. I watched his reflection on the polished table. We both remained quiet, he seemed to be waiting for something, or for me to speak up.

"Why am I here?" I asked awkwardly. I took a deep breath, and instantly regretted it. My lungs were overfilled with scents and feelings I was somehow oversensitive to. I wondered how long it would be like this, being so alone, not even an echo in my head.

"I don't know. Why did you come?"

"For answers."

"I'll need questions for that," he leaned back, arm behind his head. He was joking, my mind choked.

"Who are you? Why are you on Earth?"

"I'm here to answer your questions and help you, trust me."

"Your name?" I wondered stiffly. He sighed and spoke harshly.

"I am the Master."


	9. Good

**Chapter 9 - Good  
**

"I was a human," I started. "I was a normal human girl until you found the locket. Then I found out that everything's...everything's..." I trailed away, eyes hollowed and haunted.

"Gallifrey is gone, you mean," the Master said tensely. I nodded, rubbed my forehead, jerked my head around, rubbed the back of my neck. Anything, to get away from his gaze. I watched his eyebrows knit in the overpolished tabletop's reflection. "What's your name?"

"Seren," I said shortly. It had been so long since I'd said the longer version, I decided to keep it short. "It's just Seren. Here on Earth, it's Welsh, I think. It's supposed to mean 'star'," I added. It was a useless fact.

"How old --?"

"Two hundred and twenty-two years." More or less. I reflected the subject away from myself. "I've heard of you," I said carefully, "Everyone did. Little rumors, that someone had been resurrected, that they had run away. And the stories..." I stopped, I couldn't look at him now.

"They're true, everything they said, the stories." I had heard of the Master a few times over the years, other Renegades. I had always wondered why they interfered.

"How can you justify everything that you did?" I blurted out. It was a question that ignored all rules set by society, but as there was no society left, I had no trouble asking it. The Master smiled at the question, threw his head back and chuckled to himself.

"You looked into the Untempered Schism, and what did you see?" His head snapped to me, our eyes locked. I saw, for the first time, the Master's swirling eyes. They still had the Vortex in them, and I couldn't look away. I stared for moments without end, I was entranced.

"I saw.. I saw nothing," I said finally and truthfully.

He leaned a bit closer, like a lion moving slowly towards its prey.

"Then what did you hear?"

I blinked, hard, and raised my eyebrows. Something like madness sparked in the Master's eyes. Why had I looked into them again? I pulled myself away, wondering what he knew that I didn't.

"I didn't--nothing happened," I said firmly, "I ran away." He inhaled and almost spoke before I interrupted him. "What does this have to do with anything?" I asked him. "Our whole planet is gone, and we're sitting here discussing things that don't matter anymore!"

"You asked me why," he said truthfully, a little pleased that I had changed the subject.

"I asked for an answer, not a question. Which I have a lot of, so if you could tell me what happened, because I spent the last 17 or so years oblivious to the rest of the Universe, I'd be grateful," I said loudly. I wanted to leave the room, yet I wanted to stay and close my eyes and know that I wasn't alone, wasn't the only thing left inside my head. I breathed heavily, out of some invisible exertion.

"That's a different subject entirely. But, I'll tell you what happened," the Master said slowly. "But you're going to have to _listen_, and you have to_ believe me_. I'll start with questions."

"Who is the other one, the Time Lord I can feel in my head?" I started breathlessly. It wouldn't be anyone I knew, probably someone insignificant screaming for companionship.

"The Doctor," he said, with some contempt in his voice. I blinked, _oh_. _Oh_. Such a legend, everyone had heard of him. He messed with Time and the Universe like no one else, he'd sealed the rift in the Medusa Cascade, he'd survived the Death Zone and managed to _run_ from the Presidency. The Master started his story before I could ask anything else, with a slight glint in his eye that I decided to ignore.

I nodded, entranced, and he started his story, the story of his personal experiences in the Time War: being forced into fighting, watching everyone die, and finally: running. He'd come back at the end of the Universe, hypnotized the world into control, then had it all undone by another Time Lord.

"He killed me," he said. "The Doctor killed me because it was the only way for him stop me."

"You didn't regenerate?"

"He would have kept me, and I didn't want to be locked up. No, I had a ring, I kept my biodata stored and Lucy found it and a way to bring me back. I still look the same, remember Harold Saxon?" he asked, a little proud of his deception.

I was busy thinking of different ways that he could have accomplished a resurrection. There weren't many, and most of them involved other Time Lords. I didn't ask, he was being purposely evasive and I would not get a clear answer out of him.

The spark in my head was his enemy, he told me. I wasn't sure who's side I was on: I preferred to stay out of such situations, even as mediator.

"He was the one that destroyed Gallifrey. It was the Daleks, he didn't see any other way, he destroyed all of it. It burnt because of him," he said in an undertone.

_It burnt._

_Gallifrey burnt._

Gallifrey burnt because one man had decided to destroy it. What gave him the right to destroy all those lives? My family, my friends? An entire, crucial world destroyed, because of what? Nothing would ever make up for this. My world was dust, and the great Doctor man had done it. If he was as great as the stories, why couldn't he save us? Why couldn't he save them from burning, burning without _me_.

I stopped then, I lost my clear head and broke down. The next thing I knew I was crying, chilling and salty tears running out of my eyes and onto into my hands. Mascara smeared thickly on my fingers, I fumbled in my pocket for a tissue, but came up empty. A box of Kleenex appeared on my lap, I took one and wiped my eyes. I curled my legs onto the couch, burying my face in my arms and knees, my dignity behind me. All I could think of was my life, my friends, all gone.

I wished I was human, and the loss of a planet incomprehensible to me. But I could feel it, and it hurt so much. I felt so alone, so lost. I was the last, one of three that had survived for who knows what reason. We were all cowards, always had been, me most of all. I'd become something so small, I didn't expect or want to be found, or to find myself. I didn't want to fight. I was just so scared, I was a coward, _such a coward_. I was sobbing incoherently, glad I was alone.

_Alone?_

I didn't see anyone else in the room, when had the Master left? I looked up, still pressing a tissue to the corner of my eye, and that's when I became aware of the weight on my shoulder. He was next to me, his arm around my shoulder as I cried, holding the box of tissues I was relying on.

"It's okay," he said quietly, and I explicitly knew it was not. I willed myself to stop crying, forced the tears away. I closed my eyes and cleared away the emotion, like I should had done from the start. I could still feel him beside me, I was hypersensitive even in my grief. I stood up very suddenly, even catching myself off guard.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked blurrily.

"Two doors down on the left, the way we came. Are you okay?" he said sympathetically. I nodded and left the room quickly. The second I closed the door behind me, I was caught in the static and dust of the hall. It was so normal, it felt so much like Earth now that I was alone and without the Gallifreyian in the other room. I walked into the bathroom and gently closed the door, my hand lingering on the shiny knob. I walked to the fancy sink, looked at the mess of a face in the mirror. I lathered my hands with soap and washed my face, little bits of soap got into my eyes; I didn't even care. The stinging pain was nothing compared to the pain I felt inside.

When I finished scrubbing my face, I looked numb. My face was pale, my eyes had a tiredness to them.

I took a moment and perched on the fancy counter. I had not expected any of this. The whispered rumors that I'd heard of the Master made him seem cruel. Instead, he was being empathetic and _kind_. He wanted something of me, there was definitely something stirring behind his eyes. I had nothing to loose.

I went back to the library.

The Master was still there, sitting on the other couch again. The tray was gone, a glass of water and a new box of Kleenex was on my side of the table. I sat down, and we drank in silence. I was embarrassed by my outburst, I wasn't used to showing emotion. I took a sip of water, then a gulp. I was surprised by how thirsty I was. The Master folded his hands. We both watched them to avoid each other's eyes.

"Seren, I need your help," he said carefully. I looked up at him, his eyes were pleading. He looked so tired and old, more tired and sad and old than I felt. I looked down, then up again.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"I think I've found a way to bring Gallifrey back."

"I'll help you," I didn't need to think about it.

"I'm not sure about the details, but I need three Time Lords. You, the Doctor, and I…," he said hopefully, wistfully.

"Yes. I'll do it."

"You'll help me?" the Master asked.

"If you really need me…what are you planning on doing?"

He didn't meet my eyes.

* * *

I laid back on the couch, rested my head against the rich leather, all alone in a room of books and furniture. I thought of what I'd done, what I'd just agreed to. I thought of who the Master really was, besides a Time Lord. The Last of the Time Lords, an insane maniac with the intent to destroy so much just to get one thing back. That was probably why I had decided to be on his side, I wanted everything back, at any cost.

But the Master had still done terrible things, things I could not forget. It made me wonder, why is he wasting his time getting my help? He could force me into submission, hypnotize me quite easily. Truthfully, I didn't know and I didn't want to listen, I didn't want to understand. It was too much of a reality.

It was not the time to hope, not the time for me to talk and wonder. It was time for me to listen, and understand for once. I was wrong. I was very wrong, and the Master...he was right...I wanted to listen to him, to help him on his quest to return the Universe to its rightful place, _Gallifrey in its rightful place._

What I'd thought before had changed entirely, it fit into place. Bad was _good_. It wasn't Wrong, it was right, the Universe needed to be fixed. It was missing something, it was broken, we could fix it. Every word, every lie and truth and story that the Master had told. All of the syllables and words and sentences and paragraphs that spilled from his mouth were exactly that.

_Good._


	10. Treading Water

Note: Thanks for all the great reviews, guys! :)

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Treading Water  
**

"Lucy, this is Seren," the Master properly introduced me to his _wife_. He put little emphasis on the word, it was an empty title. We sat in the kitchen, Lucy had made sandwiches.

"Aren't you in charge of the newest space project?" I asked her curiously. I had seen tidbits on the news, but was largely uninterested.

"Yes, that's mostly Harry's idea," she explained. I forgot for a moment that she was calling him 'Harry' instead of 'the Master'. It was a reference to Harold Saxon. "When he's not working on grading papers he's helping me with that."

"Why did you take a job at a school?" I asked.

"We needed the money," he said quietly. Teachers didn't make a lot of money, but it was a low profile job. Lucy looked embarrassed, she had grown up with money and lost it all. "I couldn't draw attention to myself and teenagers are the easiest to fool." He continued to tell me a rough overview of his plans. The Master planned on capturing the Doctor and taking him to the moon base. There, he would put into effect the final phase of the plan.

"We'll get you on a shuttle out as soon as possible," Lucy said, folding her hands in her lap.

"My parents," I said suddenly, "I don't turn 18 till October. I'll have to tell them something so I can get to the moon base."

"We'll figure it out," he sighed, "I'm still working it out. I –" he checked his watch. "I need to make a phone call, be back in a minute." He patted Lucy's shoulder and left the room, leaving us alone.

"You're a Time Lady?" she asked me quietly. I nodded. "Gosh. Harry never told me much about his planet," she said quietly.

"It was beautiful," I said wistfully. "Orange skies, mountains covered in snow, silver trees. The Citadel would sparkle when the suns hit it just right." Lucy watched me delicately. She was so polite and kind, I felt like I owed her something.

"Amazing. I'm sorry you're stuck on Earth. Harry said…the Doctor has his own TARDIS. He goes everywhere." My eyes widened. Of course he would have the last TARDIS in existence.

"What about you? What do you think of all this?" I asked her.

"I don't know what to think," she said. "I was sent to jail after he died." Her voice turned bitter. "I missed a lot. This man, he saved me. His name was Jack. Captain Jack," she laughed musically. "He was such an impossible thing," her gaze shifted to the window and the small section of sky visible over buildings. "He pitied me. He visited me in the jail and thought that Harry had hypnotized me before. He was wrong, but I let him think that. He let me out, took care of me for a few weeks. It was nice to be back in the real world." She seemed enamored with this Jack.

"He sounds nice," I said, unsure of what to think.

"You must think we had something. No, he was very nice," she sighed. I suspected that she was a pawn in the Master's game of chess, not a queen. She had simply fallen for a knight on her way across the board to be queened.

The Master entered the library as a grandfather clock struck 3:30.

"I should go…" I said.

The Master was reluctant to let me leave on my own, and called a taxi. He looked at me as if I were a child he was in charge of. Lucy lingered at the door to wave. I smiled, she was sweet. I didn't know what I would do now, the Master seemed willing to set his plans back until October so that I could avoid my 'parents'.

It was nearly 4 in the afternoon when I arrived home. I braced myself for whatever punishment I would get for leaving without an announcement.

I opened the door and checked the unlit rooms. Strangely, no one was home. I had left home at about 11:00 that morning, without a word to Justin. My father should have come back around noon, and my mother was sleeping in after a late shift. I had been gone, unannounced, for hours, my mobile hadn't even rung once. I turned on most of the lights, locked the doors, and tried my mobile. Neither of my 'parents' answered their mobiles, the same with Justin. I turned on the TV, bored and impatient.

_"...drove into the Thames at approximately 3:00 this afternoon. Authorities say a man, woman, and child were killed in the accident, but we await further confirmation. The car was one of the 10% of cars that have not had their ATMOS sat-nav removed in the past few years."_

I flipped the channel, to another news station. They were talking about the same car accident. I sighed and plopped down onto the sofa.

_"...a silver 2009 Ford Focus, crashed around 3:00 PM. One man, woman, and child were killed when their car drove into the river. Officials have released the name of the driver as Thomas Justice. In other news, representatives from NASA met earlier today with LazLabs representatives about the upcoming announcement on developments for the colony on-"_

I froze. Thomas Justice was my adopted father's name. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. I turned off the TV and answered the door.

A half hour later, I buried my face in my pillow and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

I'm not sure if it's possible to drive a car into the Thames (barriers and such), because I live overseas. If it isn't, could someone drop a review so I can change it? Thanks!


	11. The Fateful Day

Note: Thanks to my friend, Carson, for coming up with the title. :) Thanks for all of the reviews and hits, everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 11 - The Fateful Day  
**

The next morning I woke up to knocking on my door. I quickly changed out of my PJs and into jeans and a t-shirt.

_knock knock knock knock_

_knock knock knock knock_

I swung open the door.

"Yes?"

The Master was standing at my top step, looking annoyed. He quickly changed his expression to a sympathetic one. A corner of his mouth twitched.

"I just saw the news," he said quickly.

"Oh, I - just," I fumbled for words. "Come in," I said resignedly. I shut the door quickly. "I haven't had breakfast yet, you don't mind?" The Master shook his head and followed me into the kitchen. "Orange juice?" I asked from inside the refrigerator. He replied and I poured him a glass.

"What are you planning to do now?" he asked, as I bustled around the kitchen and fridge.

"Well, I figure I could regenerate into someone 25, get a flat, and live here for awhile so I can help you," I sat down and bit off a bit of toast with my teeth. "or I could find the Doctor and either travel with him, convince him to give me a piece of TARDIS so I can grow my own, or kill him a few times and steal his TARDIS." The Master smiled and laughed. "I'll probably just stick with the first plan. I don't know how I'm going to manage regeneration, but I can't do anything looking so young."

"And waste your regenerations?" the Master said quickly. "That won't get you far." I took a sip of orange juice.

"What am I supposed to do? I look like a kid, and I'm a hundred times smarter than those pathetic humans!" I said furiously.

"You stay at Lucy's until we have to move to the Moon Base. Keep out of the public eye. You know he likes this stupid city." he mentioned the Doctor so casually, and I frowned.

"You don't understand...have you ever been this young? Ever tried to live on Earth like that?" I was exasperated.

"I've almost always had a beard," he said, by way of reply. I raised my eyebrows.

"I've never had a beard."

He chuckled.

"Last time I was older," I swallowed, "I looked like someone from a bad action movie. Sunglasses and long hair that was horrible to manage." The Master tapped his car keys absently against the counter top, reminiscing.

"I had the sunglasses once. Last, it was black hair, a beard. When I was human my hair turned white and I shaved. I wore all black, even my TARDIS was black. An old one. There were these columns, the console room was like a balcony at one end, you could see-"

"Purple doors glistening across the gap. Dark, all of it. You wore a white shirt, navy waistcoat, this sort of black jackett..."

"You _met_ me?"

I nodded, remembering how my memories had come to me as I dreamed.

"Remember the Cruciform? I was the last person out of the station. You saved me. I would've been left there." I looked at my empty plate, picked it up and set it in the sink. I stood, leaning, at the sink, watching the Master's reflection in the window. He was staring thoughtfully into his orange juice.

"I owe you my life. I'm debited to you," I said, and when the words came out they were Gallifreyian. I had given my word as a Time Lord, I couldn't break it now, not that I planned to.

The Master pursed his lips and broke into a harsh, wide smile, not thinking that I could see. His reflection shifted as he accepted in the same language, the binding contract.

I turned quickly and sat at the table again. The Master was now the picture of appreciation and understanding.

"You should pack," he said offhandedly.

I nodded and went to box up as many belongings as I could.


	12. Pressed and Dressed

**Chapter 12 - Pressed and Dressed  
**

Then, I was erased. I was not a file in any computer. I had never had a Facebook or a MySpace. My barely touched Twitter account was even wiped. The Justice family had never had an adopted daughter called Seren. Everything that I had not taken from the house was seized by my "father's" brother. The relatives that inherited me were told that I was already 18 and chose to live on my own. I would never see Clara again, or Mira, or any of my old friends.

I had nothing. I was nothing.

I couldn't risk being seen, especially since the Doctor frequented London. He would know I was a Time Lord the second he saw me. I didn't mind, I was content to stay in the large and mostly empty home and read.

One day, I was asked by Lucy to look over last minute additions to the technologies of the moon base. The base had already been built on the moon, but a few adjustments had to be made. In a week, the first astronauts, scientists, and technicians would be sent to the moon base to begin their "extensive 20-year-project".

Everything seemed to be fine, I didn't spot any flaws in the plan. I scribbled a few notes. My knowledge on engineering was limited, but my history was impeccable. This was far too advanced, too easy. Part of me wanted to stop helping the developments or turn away. I knew it was from Time Lords' meddling that history had changed. I felt sick to my stomach to think that this _wrongness_ was my own doing.

A week before the passenger launch, Lucy invited me to come backstage to a press conference. I was warned to stay away from cameras at all costs. I agreed. I had a purpose there, not a choice, I decided.

The press conference was in a fancy building. I didn't know where it was, exactly. I was unusually out of place, I felt like my inner compass had been switched around. A limousine picked us up at Lucy's house. Lucy and I stepped in, she was smiling. At the last moment, the Master ran out the front door, mobile phone in hand, and into the car.

A few blocks away from the conference, the limousine provided for Lucy dropped the Master and I off. We couldn't go in the front way, there was a certainty of being seen. I shivered in my thin dressy clothes.

It wasn't a long walk, and we arrived at the back entrance. The security guard let us in without question, yet another human pawn. We hid backstage, behind a long blue velvet curtain. I peered though a crack in the fabric. Lucy was standing in the flashing bulbs, countless cameras and microphones surrounding her. She started talking, we had been just in time to catch her speech.

"Hello and thank you for coming," she started. "Next Monday, our first passenger ship will take off from Florida to the moon, thanks to NASA's kind last minute arrangements. This will be the first permanent colony on the moon." My attention drifted throughout the conference. I knew most of the information already, and the questions on budget didn't interest me. I caught a few things that I had not know, however.

"...Some very key materials for the Moon Colony have been generously donated from the Rattigan Academy. These donations, including single-molecule fabric, nanotech steel, gravity simulators, biospheres, and terraforming equipment, will help us on our journey into the stars," Lucy continued with scripted answers.

She smiled awkwardly as a single camera flashed.

"Isn't Luke Rattigan dead?" I asked the Master.

"Sontarans," he said with a smile. A chill ran down my spine.

"And what of the rumors of alien involvement?" a brave reporter spoke up. The room quieted.

"So called Extra Terrestrial contact has not been associated with this project. I'm sorry, but we can't take any more questions. Thank you."

Lucy left the stage, looking harassed.

She stopped by us as she went to the public backstage. "I can't stand another moment of this," she sighed. The Master smiled apologetically.

"We'll be fine."

I peeked through the curtain. The last reporter to ask a question was being escorted out of the room by two security guards.

"Seren?" the Master ushered me away from the curtain.

Lucy had left.

"Yeah, sorry."

"We should leave," he said.

"Why are we here in the first place?" I asked him. He checked his smartphone subtly.

"Well, about that," he said, looking away.


	13. Medians of Deception

**Chapter 13 - Medians of Deception  
**

The limo pulled through a network of streets until I was hopelessly lost. I could feel that we were going towards something, and I had a nagging suspicion of what. I craned my neck, trying to see what was out the window.

"Why are we here? We're in the middle of London."

The Master shook his head, glancing out the car's overly-tinted window.

"Can you feel that?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. I felt something at the edge of my mind, not quite metaphorically lapping against my mental barriers. "Oh my god. His TARDIS. He's…"

"He's here."

I wanted to search for the Doctor immediately, open my brain and let it fill with another beautiful time Lord presence.

"Out," the Master tilted his head. "Go to the TARDIS. It looks like a police box. When you hear them, scream, and run back this way."

I tried to glare at the Master. Why did I have to do the dirty work?

I opened the car door, hesitated again, then ran out. I followed my instincts, the beating of my hearts growing theatrically louder when I finally reached the TARDIS. I stood a small alleyway away. I almost ran straight up to it. I wanted to place my hand on the wood and --no, the temptation was too strong. I stopped myself and ran close enough to feel the TARDIS on the edge of my mind.

Then, I remembered my job. I should run, scream, hide. I had a nagging duty, I had to help him.

Voices faded into my hearing. Two people were heading down an adjoining alley.

"...how do you live like this?"

"Oh, well, it's easy. Just me. Time Lord, TARDIS, space and time at my fingertips."

Then the ground rushed up to my feet and I could hear his voice. I had hardly believed it before, but it was true! I froze and wanted to bask in the last remains of Gallifrey in his mind. It was open, calling, like the TARDIS' but not as strong. I ran, locked my mind away even tighter. I hid behind some trash bins, only a corner away from the blue phone box. The smell was horrible, but I held my breath for another reason.

"Don't you ever get lonely?" the woman asked. I hadn't expected him to be accompanied, but no, of course. The Master had said "they". He must have known and kept them busy on a wild goose chase so we could sneak up on them. Would she run, or be captured along with the Doctor?

"Sometimes," I heard his half-hearted reply. I peeked around the corner, saw him opening the TARDIS with a beautiful creak. He stood in the doorway. His friend stood there, young and pretty and brimming with her short, pathetic human life.

This was my chance.

"Unless, you could come with -- "

I closed my eyes tightly and screamed.


	14. First Confrontations

Note: Because of complications, the character 'Hannah' (introduced in this chapter) has had their name changed to 'Natasha'. Sorry for any confusion. A big thank you to Scott for the name!

**

* * *

Chapter 14 - First Confrontations  
**

Time passed slowly. I sensed every moment of the next few minutes in the highest detail. The Doctor ran towards my hiding spot. He was in his element, used to running towards screams to save the innocent. I could hear his trainers' scuffle, his heavy breathing, the TARDIS door was swinging ever so slightly on its creaking hinges. Every detail of sound was enhanced. I finally opened my eyes. His friend's insensible heels clacked sluggishly. She was following him.

I didn't have the heart to run away. I crouched there, amidst the garbage. I was afraid to look up. The Doctor stopped before my hiding place. All I could see was his feet. He pushed a bin away and froze.

I stared. I couldn't help it, the wind was pushed out of me. I let my mind go, I couldn't stand to be locked away and not feel the glow of his mind towards the edge of mine. His face was open with emotion, sad and surprised and so happy. I couldn't stand it, I let go of everything. I folded away my mental barriers. I felt like I could breathe.

The Doctor was tall and skinny. His brown hair stuck up unnaturally, like how his brown coat floated in the pollution tainted breeze. He was the man who had given me the envelope, Trainer Man. I shrugged those questions away and tried not to blink.

A moment had scarcely passed before the Master's mind joined ours in the open. The Doctor's face changed visibly, he did not hide his emotion well.

"Run," he told the woman. She didn't listen. She was pretty and tall and probably a nice person. But the Doctor knew that the Master was here, and that was his priority now.

He spun around. The Master stood in the alleyway parallel to me. I hadn't noticed. I stood up slowly, my back to the wall, the Doctor's back to the wall, and the Master 20 feet away and facing us both.

The Master flicked his hand. A dozen armed men ran into sight. They surrounded the Doctor in a half moon, trapping me as well. The Master turned on his heel and walked away.

"Master," the Doctor said quietly. The Master paused in mid step, as if he was about to answer or turn around.

"Seren?" he said, and I stepped forward. The Master turned slightly and motioned for me to come outside the half-circle of guards and their captives.

I could hardly move, much less step around the Doctor.

"Seren?" the Master called, louder. The Doctor turned to look at me again. Our eyes locked and I couldn't breathe or move. I saw nothing but his eyes and the scars of what they had seen. It scared me, there were fires burning and planets dying and worlds crumbling to ash. I wanted to run away from all of them, everyone. The Doctor gave off waves of disappointment, grief, and even fear. What was he afraid of? Certainly not destroying his own planet, _my planet._

"Seren," the Master said firmly. He had turned around and was facing us.

I was about to break the stalemate when the Doctor's friend took the chance and ran.

"NATASHA! NO!" the Doctor yelled for her to stop. A shot rang out, along with a small cry as the bullet met its mark.

"NO!"

The Doctor took a step towards her, but two of the armed men grabbed him by the elbows.

"Seren," the Master said for the last time. He was tired of waiting for me to move. I wasn't choosing sides, but it seemed to him like I had suddenly.

Natasha's broken body stood out in the corner of my eye. The potential and timelines around her faded and disappeared. She was dead. I looked down at my shoes, and watched them move with my feet as I walked towards the Master.

I could feel the Doctor's eyes like lasers in the back of my head.

The limousine was parked just around the corner. The Master opened the car door for me. I sat numbly inside. As soon as the door was closed, I put my head in my hands and smiled. I wanted to cry, to be shameful of my cowardice. I couldn't. All three of us -- my hearts rushed at the thought -- had our minds opened now. We were thriving on the relief of each others' existence. None of us dared to close our minds now. I could vaguely sense the emotions of the Doctor and Master. Excitement, fear, relief, guilt.

I focused my attention on the events outside the car. The Doctor had been walked to the side of the alley. I heard the muffled sounds of forced conversation through the glass. the men still had their guns pointed at the Doctor, he had been led a few feet away from the limo. He faced me, the Master's back was to me. The Doctor took off his coat and threw it to the Master. He caught it and pulled something out of a pocket. A white paper bag and a sonic instrument of some kind. He was laughing.

"...don't carry weapons, you know that," the Doctor's muffled voice carried through the glass.

"I know, but I figured you had jelly babies," the Master joked. I blinked. They were talking about sweets? What about the plan? What about me?

The Doctor seemed to have the same idea, because he looked towards my hiding spot.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

"The ring. Didn't you ever think?" The Master began to pace in front of him energetically. "I stored my biodata inside the ring. You were right, I wouldn't have refused to regenerate unless I knew I had a way back."

"Lucy Saxon shot you because you told her to." I swallowed. Lucy had shot the Master? He had lied, he said that the Doctor killed him.

"Exactly. I told her to find the ring and exactly how to bring me back. She was in jail, but the Freak got her out. She tracked the ring…a disused quarry? Really?" The Doctor shrugged. "She took it to Cardiff to soak up rift energy, but that wasn't enough. She couldn't use a human to bring me back, but she found a Time Lord."

"Who?" the Doctor asked, but it wasn't a question. He would have known that there were more of us about, but only if they were consciously broadcasting it. It was like a trucker's radio set on a certain frequency, but you only showed up when you were talking. I had been listening, the Doctor was chatting away to an invisible audience.

"This charming little girl who called herself Jenny."

"No," the Doctor said hoarsely.

"She came through the Rift, believe that, and asked around for this Doctor fellow! Lucy convinced the poor girl to put the ring on."

"She was my daughter," the Doctor said emptily.

"Yeah," the Master chuckled, "That's a bit weird. A generated anomaly, I think she said. You could generate enough Time Lords to create a new Gallifrey!"

"Stop it."

"I did what I had to survive."

"You took her life."

"I took her body. She was an echo," he said firmly. "And then I hid for 3 years. Looks like someone couldn't destroy Archangel. 15 satellites, and all they did was disable them. I lived in secret. I was a teacher. I grew a beard and have been using a low-level perception filter."

"Yes, your life story," the Doctor said dismissively, "What about her?" he nodded in my direction, inside the car.

"Her name is Seren."

"How did you find her?"

"She ran, just like me, and actually on my advice, too. She was a student at the school where I taught, and I discovered her locket with her Time Lady self stored away."

"She's just a child."

"She's older than Romana was, old enough to make her own decisions." _Romana? _Did he mean…? "I told her my plans, she is helping me of her own free will. Imagine that, Doctor," he breathed. I pressed my forehead against the glass and tried to prevent my breath from fogging up.

"Let her out of the car. Let her talk to me."

Oh, please, no. I couldn't.

"She doesn't want to."

"Have you asked her?" He didn't dare take a step towards the car.

"Actually I have," the Master raised his voice."I don't think she's changed her mind."

They both stopped talking, staring through the window that I sat behind. Everything outside of the car was slightly darker than it should have been. The atmosphere of the conversation, the world, everything was darker if it was through my eyes or in my thoughts.

The door opened before I could lock it. I stumbled out, the Master pushed the door shut. The sun had come out of the clouds and was somehow in my eyes. For a moment, all of us were speechless. No one knew quite what to say. The Doctor spoke first.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor," he said hoarsely. He seemed very confused. I tried to step behind the Master, but he held me in front of him by the shoulders. I was sandwiched between them. I felt like a Time Lord shield. "I'm sorry," he continued, "I'm so sorry." I broke eye contact. I was afraid that he would start crying, that I would. "We're the only ones left. We have to stick together. He's manipulating you," he raised his voice.

"Take him away," the Master said suddenly. I almost sighed in relief.

"He's a hypnotist and a maniac. You have to fight him!" the Doctor yelled over his shoulder as he was led away.

I turned around, shaking my shoulders from the Master's grip.

"Where is he going?" I snapped. He pursed his lips.

"Jelly baby?" he asked cheerfully, offering me the bag he'd taken from the Doctor.

"What are you doing with him?"

"You're taking sides," he said venomously.

"I'm on no one's side."

"Actually, you've been on my side since the beginning," He glanced at the empty alleyway where the Doctor had been just a moment ago.

"Not on everything." I bit my lip.

"Do you want Gallifrey back or not?" he asked. I crossed my arms like a stubborn child. It couldn't happen without me.

"Don't hurt him. He seems..." Too many words, I'd given my thoughts away. I fumbled for more.

"He's caused you more pain than anyone," he said in a sudden outburst. The atmosphere had changed. Before it was quiet and awkward, but we weren't at each others' throats. With the addition of the Doctor, it had become electric and forced. The Master had fought against him for years, and I was stuck without loyalties. I was a rock at sea, beat by waves from opposite directions.

"Don't hurt him," I said. "That is my only condition."

I crossed my eyes and turned to open the car door. It was locked. I turned around, the Master wheeled towards me. It had been a stupid move, stating my position and defending the Doctor. Their emotions and hatred for each other ran deeper than it appeared.

"Remember," he said quietly. His voice was chilling, I barely stood my ground. "You are here on my terms, Seren."

I was still shocked by the sudden electricity. He spun around and set off at a fast walk. I didn't move.

"You coming? Or going with him?" he gestured around the corner, his mood suddenly changed. I followed the Master the few alleys to the TARDIS. The door was still slightly open. I pulled it open, and stepped into the Doctor's TARDIS.


	15. One Small Step

**Chapter 15 - One Small Step  
**

I hesitated at the threshold of the Doctor's TARDIS and put my hand on the door. It felt wooden, but also so alive. She was beautiful and majestic. I basked in the feeling of the last TARDIS at the edges of my thoughts, like a warm bath. It was the last fragment of Gallifrey. Then, a sharp blast of pain shot through my arm. I had been electrocuted.

"Ow! She-she!" I shook out my hand. The Master poked his head around the door with an amused expression on his face.

"You're shocked?" he laughed at his joke. "We just took away her precious Doctor, you can't expect her to sit here quietly!" I stepped inside. He threw his jacket over a coral-like pillar as I closed the doors carefully.

I finally took a moment to really look inside. She was a Type 40, the console completely torn apart.

"What's he done to her?" He ignored me and examined the console. I walked over and glanced at the mess of a machine.

"Do you want to fly her?" the Master grinned maniacally.

"Oh, yes," I replied quickly. "Where? When?" I wanted to sing at the last question.

"Moon base, top deck. 2 months and 3 weeks from now."

"Is Lucy coming?" I asked foolishly. I adjusted a few settings just to brush my fingers on the living time machine.

"No," he replied. Maybe this would be bumpier than I thought. I was disappointed. Lucy had been almost a friend; I'd grown used to her quiet ways. "Can't risk it," he mumbled. I didn't ask, but remembered what the Doctor had said. Lucy had shot the Master, he was probably concerned that it would happen again.

He took us suddenly into flight. The TARDIS shook and traveled roughly.

"What are you doing! We're going to crash!" I could feel us flying haywire through the vortex.

"There's only one way to fly this old thing, Seren!" he whooped, and I grabbed a hold of the railing. The TARDIS was thrown about violently. He ran around the console, banging on random pieces of equipment. I wasn't even sure it was helping. The Master threw his head back and laughed. I let him fly it and clung on for dear life.

We landed shortly after. I checked the scanner. We were in the moon base.

He'd kept us in the vortex too long, just for fun. I shivered with unwanted excitement. It was great to be in a TARDIS again, but our purpose was not benevolent. I reluctantly opened the door and stumbled out. The gravity was wrong, artificial. It was a bit too heavy, but not enough for the humans to notice. We were in an empty but well-finished room, the office of the first in command. It was a half-circle shaped room, with a clear and domed ceiling. I looked up and saw stars faintly. I knew all of their names.

"The gravity ne-"

"Needs adjusted, I know," he said. The smile was ripped from his face. It was all business now. He shrugged into his jacket and walked towards the door. I saw down in a nearby chair, blood rushing through my veins.

"What now?" I asked quietly. I was ignored.

"That's my chair," he said as he left the room.

"I'll sit in your chair if I like," I mumbled, sighed, and followed him out of the room.

The design of the moon base had been amazing. It was primitive and pathetic compared to what I was used to on Gallifrey, but the design was overall amazing and almost artful. The Master had, of course, designed most of it through Lucy. There were several floors: the main control, secondary control, living quarters, and the engines. Everything was crammed into one multistory building. Each round level had been built on Earth and then stacked like dominoes. While the outside appearance was like a bubble, it was really the thick walls outside that slanted, inside each room was square. It was strangely pretty in the press release pictures, the sun shining off of a dome. I sighed when I thought of its obvious model.

The floors and walls were white and smooth, there were large picture windows in the upper floors, all of which gave a view of the Earth

We had landed the TARDIS in the upper control room. It took up only a fourth of its floor, the smallest room at the top and front of the dome. I walked through a set of sliding doors. I stepped onto the balcony, a staircase at my right and another hallway to my left.

I walked to the railing of the balcony. It was like an overhang, technicians and scientists bustled around computers and controls that were directly below me. Since we were at the part of the base that faced Earth, a large window was stationed over some controls. I guessed that it had a theatrical purpose more than a useful one.

I wasn't surprised that there were so many people here already. We had gone forward in time, and the moon base was fully staffed. There were 15 guards that doubled as medical, cleaning, and cooking staff, 15 scientists, 3 cleaning, 1 doctor, 6 cooks, and a few others. Including unofficial passengers and the Master and I, there were 57 people on board.

The Master was already descending the staircase. No one looked up or noticed the two sudden arrivals. Then, a pair of security guards stepped in. I still thought it was strange to have guards, but they had been provided by UNIT and had other uses. They actually had guns, and pointed them at the Master. A technician had spotted us and subtly called them, I surmised. The dozen assembled people turned to watch, like teenagers before a fight.

"Who are you?" one scientist asked. I assumed that he was the closest thing to a leader. "What is your name and what are you doing here?" he asked stiffly, as if it was rehearsed.

"My name is the Master. I'm taking over," he motioned to the guards, who shifted their guns to the scientists. They didn't panic, merely lined up against the wall, hands on heads.

The Master laughed and pulled something out of his jacket.

"And now for the security camera," he said offhandedly. "How's UNIT doing? Nice to see you again," he called to the hidden microphone and pointed the object at the camera. It sparked a few times. One of the technicians had a fire extinguisher. He extinguished what could have been an electrical fire, and nonchalantly headed back to his research. I blinked. This had been a set up, they were going by a script. It was so forced, a trick to fool Earth authorities. I wondered what type of panic was being induced back on Earth. I wondered if they even knew who the Master was. He seemed to have everyone hypnotized.

The Master spoke quietly into a speaker by the door.

"...Okay, positions," he said louder, I heard it from my place above the room.

I stepped back from the balcony and looked around properly. What was going on? I didn't know most of the plan from here, but I knew the end result. I paused on the spot, unsure of what to do.

Below, a set of doors that led to an outside hallway swung open. The Doctor was led in.


	16. Master Plan

Note: Thanks to Carson for suggesting the next chapter name! :) Thanks to everyone for reviewing!

* * *

**Chapter 16 - Master Plan  
**

Two guards led the Doctor into the large room. He was wearing handcuffs, and stumbled as they forced him to the center of the room. The Master had his own private army, nearly everyone was hypnotized. The Doctor looked solemnly at the Master, who was surveying his new scene with his arms folded. Then, the Doctor looked to me. Our eyes locked. I couldn't look away. His gaze told me to run and hide and help him. My knees buckled for a moment, but I would rather stay on the balcony and watch the scene unfold.

"Hello again! How was the ride here? Sorry, but we traveled in style," the Master had turned and was pacing the floor in front of the Doctor. "The silent treatment again, really?" He sighed loudly. "Okay, how about now!" he pointed his device at the balcony and towards me. I took a step to the side, confused. Then a set of guards emerged from the side hallway, leading prisoners down the stairs. I took a sharp breath and retreated to the corner of the balcony. The Master had said nothing about human captives.

The first woman looked very angry. She had dark hair and skin, and looked to be planning the Master's murder right then and there. The second one, a redhead, was confused and scared, she was looking around with horror and something like pain on her face. The last woman had light brown hair and bangs, she seemed to be more concerned with the redhead than anyone else.

Last, a handcuffed man walked onto the balcony just a few feet away from me. I shivered, goose bumps spread across the back of my neck. He did not have time lines circling and changing around him, but was strangely clear. He was a fixed point in time and space. He turned to me, the only one to notice me so far.

"You?" he said to me in an American accent. My eyes flew open. I was afraid to say anything. "You were - the security images at the mall in Cardiff..." He squinted at me. I tried to backup, I didn't want him near me. "Don't worry, we can get you out of here." He seemed confused, he thought that I was a captive.

The guards pulled him away, and lead the struggling humans down the stairs.

"Donna Noble, Martha Jones, and Grace Holloway! Nice to see you all again. Except Donna, of course, I've never had the pleasure," he oozed venom. The Doctor was scared now, it was evident on his face. The Master could have countless numbers of his traveling companions here, and he would kill them all. I was shocked. I knew he was a murderer, but this was over the line. We were supposed to save the Doctor, not destroy him.

"Actually, that would be _Doctor_ Holloway and Jones, thank you very much," the dark haired woman, Martha, called as she was led down the stairs with the others.

The Master made a show of clapping.

"And, hello Torchwood!" the Master said happily. "Or, what's left of it. Missing a few people?" Jack threw himself at the Master. The Master laughed as the guards struggled to hold him.

The Master looked around, slightly lost. Then, he spoke again.

"Looks like the gang's all here."

"Leave them alone," the Doctor said lowly. I had to strain to hear him.

"Who are you? What the hell is this place?" the redhead yelled. She was panicked, she acted like she didn't even know the Doctor. She held her hand to her head.

"I'm the Master. You're on the moon."

"Donna, don't listen to him, don't think about it," Martha whispered as Donna massaged her temples.

"What's that, _Doctor_ Jones? Why wouldn't you believe me?"

The plain looking woman with the bangs yelled unhelpfully, "Because you tried to destroy the Universe!". I was surprised to find that she also had an American accent.

"Oh, _Doctor_ Holloway? You've seen nothing yet. Have you seen Daleks, Ood, Racnoss?"

"Don't," the Doctor said, hushed. I leaned over the railing.

"What, Doctor? What don't you want Donna to hear?" the Master leaned forward, cupping a hand to his ear.

"Stop it. Your problem is with me. Leave them out of it."

"No, it isn't." He began to pace again.

"There are several people in this room who have _big_ problems with you, too. Your companions, you leave them, don't you? Give them every impression of something special, then whisk yourself away in your magical TARDIS. Leave them to die, to _forget_."

Donna cocked her head.

"I'll do anything, please," the Doctor pleaded, "Leave them alone, send them back to Earth."

"Defenseless? On Earth? They could get attacked by Daleks, or Davros," the Master looked pointedly at Donna. "Why isn't it working?" he mumbled, frustrated.

"Will someone explain to me what is going on?" Donna said loudly.

"You don't remember?" Jack turned to Donna. Martha sent him a warning look.

"Oh, Donna," the Master said weakly, "You are a piece of work. No, really. You are _magnificent_."

At his last word, she held her hands to her head and collapsed on the floor. The Master clapped his hands together. He was about to speak again when her head snapped up.

"I think I am, yeah," Donna said loudly. Something in her had changed. "Spaceman, what did you get yourself into this time?" she said to the Doctor. I blinked, confused. I was missing part of the story.

"That's more like it!" the Master said. "Pleased to meet you, DoctorDonna."

"I have all of his brain crammed 'round my head and you think I'll be pleased as well? Go jump out of an airlock," she yelled.

He laughed.

"She has about 5 hours left to live," the Master said conspiratorially to the Doctor.

"I'll help you," the Doctor said, "Just save her."

The Master ignored him.

"Take her back to the med bay. Watch her, don't let her near anything," he instructed a guard.

A guard led Donna up the stairs and past me. I tried to tear myself away, but I couldn't keep my eyes off of Donna.

She was like a double negative; Time Lord, Human, but burning in the middle. She was some sort of metacrisis, I realized. I scrunched up my nose in disgust. I followed her slowly drooping eyes until she was pushed through the doors.

The Doctor was allowed to stand.

"I was silent before, but I will not watch you do this again," he said. "There is too much at stake." I flinched. "Master, tell me. What are you planning?" The Master leaned closer to the Doctor.

"You know, it used to be that easy. Just ask me anything, I'll tell you the details and hand you the plans."

"But you always had a catch," the Doctor replied. "Who's it this time?" I flinched again.

"You give yourself away, Doctor," he rubbed his hands together. "You know, why don't I tell you everything? I can brag a little." The Master pulled something out of his pocket. He had been waiting for this moment. He held something in his fingers, it was small, a stone. I couldn't quite see it from my spot on the balcony.

"The Reflection Stone," he said proudly.

"That's impossible," I said suddenly. I didn't remember opening my mouth. I swallowed dryly. Everyone in the room had their eyes on me. "It was the first thing I saw…" I trailed off. "The monument where it was kept was the first thing I saw destroyed in Dalek fire during the Time War," I continued.

"It's impossible to destroy, it thrives on destruction," the Master countered, "It came through the Time Lock with Davros and Dalek Caan. Then it went through the Medusa Cascade, and right through the Rift in Cardiff. It stayed hidden until a recent explosion," he smiled at Jack, "powered it up and set it loose."

"That was in the Hub," Jack realized, "How did you find it?" he asked.

"I got lucky. Almost heard it calling to me, the destruction calling, louder and louder." He held the stone up to his ear. "Can't you hear it?" I was confused. What would I hear? I couldn't even sense the stone, it gave off nothing even though it was an anomaly. "Have you figured it out yet, Doctor?" he teased.

"Three Time Lords..." the Doctor started. "It was created by three powerful Time Lords, and it needs three Time Lords to activate it. You've got me, Seren, and yourself. You activate it, and you can use its power to destroy something, anything, but it has to be small. The destruction feeds the stone itself, and then it can be used to destroy even more. It gives it more and more power, until it can do anything: create, break, or rewrite." His words danced, but he sounded so tired. "You could use it to bring Gallifrey back," the Doctor said finally. He was serious, stern, and very sad. "And you're going to destroy Earth in the process."

The Master laughed. He threw his head back like a maniac. The human prisoners stared at him with fear and horror. The Master signaled the guards to lead everyone out. Martha struggled in a desperate attempt towards the Master, cried out softly, and was led along with the others to a lower level. All but the Doctor's two guards left the room, footsteps echoing around the high ceiling.

The three of us were alone.


	17. Changing Times

**Chapter 17 - Changing Times  
**

It was simply me, the Doctor, and the Master. I still stood on the balcony, looking below. The Doctor wasn't even being held back, he stood his ground, looking as dignified as the Master. No words were being exchanged, but I could feel an electric storm stirring between them. I took a deep breath and turned to the doors through which I had entered. Inside was the Doctor's TARDIS, I could go in there and hide and feel the last tendrils of Gallifrey in my mind.

The doors, however, were locked. I pulled against both handles, then pushed, but I could feel the lock catching. I turned to the other doors, but all the locks required a key pass. I had no key. I closed my eyes, back against the wall.

"Seren," the Master called loudly. I squeezed them shut, imagined that I was floating in a thick fog, into my mind, blocking it out. I was nowhere, drifting away. But the Master's voice cut through the fog. "Seren, are you okay?" he asked dangerously, not at all caring about me. What he wanted me to say to the Doctor, I had no idea. I pushed off from the wall and nearly ran down the stairs.

"Leave her alone," the Doctor said quietly, "do not hurt her." I tried to pretend I couldn't hear. I cleared my mind, my face. I tried to stay impassive, focusing on my heartbeats and breathing, the air filling my lungs.

I stood to the side, the Master to my left and the Doctor and his guards to my right. My eyes drifted to the Doctor, he didn't look as angry as the Master was. It had been merely an hour for me since I last faced him, but over 2 months since he'd seen me. The Doctor had had time to think. I had not.

"I'm sorry," he said to me. Then, he turned to the Master. "This is wrong. Don't deny it, both of you can feel it. Destroying one to find another, that's _wrong_," he finished, it was like a speech.

"It's not worth it, then? Tell me, was it worth destroying everything you had to stop a war we could have won?"

"Yes," the Doctor said. One syllable, one word. I looked into his eyes, and he was the one who looked away this time.

"How can you say that? How could you make that decision, take it away? What gave you that right?" He was taunting the Doctor now. He knew his answer.

"I'm a Time Lord. I have that right." The Master smiled, trying to be ironic.

"Then don't we?" I did not want to be included. I was only here because I had to be, because of my promise.

"We have the right to make decisions. This one is wrong," the Doctor fumbled on. Even I was unsure, he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Look at yourself, you can't even keep your story straight. Maybe you're scared of them coming back," he stepped closer to the Doctor. I leaned in gently to hear his quiet whisper.

"Maybe you're scared of what they might do to you. Destroying Gallifrey was not your decision. You were wrong." The Doctor collapsed, onto his knees.

"You're right," he said emptily. "It was wrong. I was wrong," he looked into the Master's eyes, finally surrendering. "Just tell me, what are you going to do? Do I die, too? Will you kill me?" he glanced over the Master's shoulder, his eyes focused something that I couldn't see.

"I can't hurt you," the Master said plainly.

"You've killed me before!" the Doctor yelled. "What makes this any different?"

"I promised her," the Master pointed at me.

"I've been told I'm going to die, from a prophecy. They told me my song is ending."

"What else did you hear?"

The Doctor hesitated.

"He will knock four times. He will knock four times, then I die," the Doctor looked down. "Is that you?" he asked quietly.

"No. I changed my plans."

"Why?" The Master looked at me in response. The Doctor's eyes followed, scalding me.

"Me?" I said in disbelief.

"Another Time Lord. You changed all of our time lines, the prophecies..." The Doctor's eyes brightened as the Master spoke to him.

"I need you. I'm not going to hurt you, or her, for that matter."

"Me or the Universe? Does it really come to that?" he said hoarsely to the Master.

"In the end," the Master said. "Take him away," he motioned to the guard.

"Seren," the Doctor turned to me before he was led away. "Be careful." He was led in the opposite direction than his friends, a solitary prisoner.

Their footsteps echoed. I stood stone still until the room was completely silent. I turned to the Master, but he was gone, and I was alone with my thoughts.


	18. Different Types of Prisoners

**Chapter 18 - Different Types of Prisoners  
**

A few hours later, I found myself in a small room. The entire room was a claustrophobic white. The base was painfully reminiscent of some of the more important Gallifrey; I half expected to find decorations or chairs with quietly chatting Time Lords around every corner. My room contained a small bed and a dresser. Before, it had been a storage closet, but extra supplies had been moved to give me a space away from the other passengers. I only needed a few hours of sleep every couple of days, but I hadn't slept for a dangerously long while. When I closed my eyes, I dreamed. When I dreamed, I screamed.

I collapsed on the bed. Today had been a long day. In spite of myself, I fell asleep instantly.

I woke up a half hour later, screaming. I could still see it in the back of my mind, fire and flame and - someone knocked on my door.

"Are you okay, miss?" a voice came through the door. I huffed. A guard had been set outside my door! I rolled off of the bed and made a quick decision. I stood flat against the wall and screamed again.

The door slid open and the guard stepped in hastily. I was in his blind spot, so I hit him as hard as I could in the back of his neck and he fell to the floor, unconscious. I smiled slightly, it was easier than I expected.

I checked the hallway and dragged him into a closet parallel to my room. The door closed behind him, and I knew I didn't have much time before he would wake up. I had gotten lucky. Now was the time to see what was really going on.

I glanced down the nearest stairwell. It was empty, I went down deeper and deeper. I descended the steps until I got to the bottom. I opened the doors to what I knew was the engine room, not sure what I would find.

It was the largest of all the rooms, but the dirtiest. Tire tracks from a fork lift ran across the once-white floor. The room was hot and stuffy, the evidence of machines. Directly in front of me was a fenced area filled with crates and other supplies. To my right were a few tanks of liquid. I could feel something humming, the machines must be somewhere down here. The gravity was the strongest here, they still hadn't fixed it.

I peeked my head around a tall stack of crates. Guards were at the end of the corridor-like path. I flipped around. Something scuffled in the fenced area. I looked closer. The fence had been divided into sections with crates lining the individual cells. I saw someone in the farthest cell. No, it wasn't just any someone, it was the Doctor.

I realized that this was my chance. It had barely been a day since I'd met him. I had spoken a few words to him, but had been prevented from having a real conversation because of the Master.

There was an opening in the fence, so that people could access each cell of supplies. There were empty sections, like a corridor with fencing as walls. I walked to the end, to the very last cell that was being put into the worst definition of the word.

He was perched on a few crates, his legs crossed and eyes closed. I felt weird disturbing him, he was concentrating on something. I stood awkwardly in front of his cell for a few moments. I took a silent, deep breath. I could taste the metal of the place, the warm plastic of the crates. It smelt like rust and smoke. I could sense the people in the base, but most of all the man right in front of me and the one three floors above. Their presence was more of a mental pressure than a physical one. All of my senses were very sharp in this regeneration, or else I was so starved of Time Lord contact that everything Gallifreyian was a flood.

"I'm sorry," I said finally.

The Doctor's eyes opened instantly, but he refused to look at me. He focused on the high ceiling instead.

"I'm sorry that you're here and your friends are here and that Natasha's dead and Donna's on the verge of death and the Earth is going to be destroyed. I'm sorry. I just - sorry." The words spilled out of my mouth before I could even turn them into coherent sentences.

He still would not look at me, which infuriated me.

"I can help you," I said desperately. I just wanted him to _look_ at me.

He shifted his gaze to the floor, disinterested.

"I can help Donna," I nearly cried.

He looked to me instantly.

"Human Time Lord metacrisis," he said quickly. "She has maybe 20 minutes left. Her defenses may be down. If they're not, you'll need to know…" he trailed off and jumped to the edge of the chain-linked fence. I stepped forward. He wanted to enter my mind. I nodded slightly and pressed my forehead against the fence. He stuck his fingers through the wire and onto my temples. I was startled by his touch. He didn't pry into my mind, simply placed the key to Donna's mind in my own. He pulled away suddenly, and I stepped back, disoriented from the contact.

"I'm not...I'm not sure what to do exactly," he said, at a loss. I didn't have a clue, either.

"I'll have to wing it."

"I know. You may have to wipe her memories again," I nodded and turned to leave. "One thing," he said. "Natasha, why did you remember her name?" I spun around. He had the strangest expression on his face.

"She...I didn't know she would be hurt," I hesitated, but he motioned for me to leave. I ran out of the dreary engines and up the stairs as fast as I could.


	19. Unwanted Memories

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! :) Note: Some of the science things in this chapter may not be accurate.

* * *

**Chapter 19 - Unwanted Memories  
**

No one stopped me on my way upstairs, and I managed to knock out the single guard in front of the medical bay. The plain white door slid to the side and I rushed in, Donna had a room to herself, she lay handcuffed to a cot. There were no medical staff in the small room, which was very lucky. I walked to Donna and faced her.

"Donna," I whispered, and gathered her head in my hands, placed my fingers on her temples. I closed my eyes and concentrated on her. It was my first time entering a human's mind, I wasn't used to this type of contact at all. I immersed myself in her mind, it felt like a physical place instead of connections and chemicals. It was interesting and simple, but the Time Lord that had fused itself to her shone through. I wasn't even sure if she was a metacrisis anymore. Orange glowed at the edges of her inner mind, soft and familiar. Her defenses were weakened, but would keep me out. They opened for me, thanks to the Doctor's key. I could see his mind at the edges of her's.

I needed time, so I gutted her short term memory. I dug deeper, dissolving little facts and trivia that she didn't need. I took away seasons of useless Earth TV shows, gossip magazines, text message slang, the name of her third grade teacher. I left little things for her: her first kiss, how to set the timer on the VCR, every moment with her father and grandfather, the times spent up on a hill staring at the stars where she would go someday.

Finally, I scraped the bottom of her mind. I was surprised to find regeneration energy with traces of Huon particles. She was already partially Time Lord, if I could coax the energy to bloom and change her cells, she could regenerate…But it wouldn't work, there wasn't enough. She had enough brain cells with Time Lord DNA that would regenerate, but she needed more energy to pass it on and start the chain reaction. I took a deep breath, considering. In theory, I could wipe the human DNA from certain cells in her brain, and replace it with Time Lord DNA. If I could force a regeneration in the core of her brain, it would trigger the rewriting of her brain cells, and her body cells, organs and blood and bone continuing the process.

There was the smallest chance it would work, but it was a chance. I had to _try_.

I opened my mind fully and set to work. I instructed her body to replicate the Time Lord DNA, to use up energy and increase the speed of cell division. I could almost feel her energy being used up for the process, she needed regeneration energy. The remains of the Huon particles would help to stabilize her, somehow, but she needed a specific form of energy that only three people still contained. I took a deep breath and channeled the energy from my own hearts, through my fingers, and into Donna. It flooded out of me, ten, twenty, forty years worth of my own energy. My next regeneration would be difficult, if I ever got there. Finally, it was enough. I could do no more to help her.

I released her and took a step back. Donna laid on the cot, motionless. Then, the regeneration came. She was a burning violet volcano, red and purple bursting underneath her skin, like hot waves in the air. I shielded my eyes, afraid to breath. Her appearance didn't change, all of the energy went into changing the makeup of her cells. It was nearly impossible, I couldn't believe that I had pulled it off!

As the light died down, I could feel something change. She was a Time Lord, like me, only _so_ different. She was unconscious, sprawled on the cot. She may need a restorative, I thought with a jolt. I looked around hastily, not sure that the hospital would be stocked properly. Tea would be the best, but I would have to go to the kitchen for that, if they had any at all. If I had access to a Zero room, her mind could even heal.

"Donna?" I said worriedly. I took her head in my hands once again, careful to enter her brain without disturbing anything. I could feel her brain working, a majesty of smoothly glowing pieces, like clockwork. It was so similar to my own, Time at the edges and raw Knowing in its recesses. No longer orange at the edges, it was golden and sparkling. Her little human memories were being adapted, I could see some of the Doctor in her. She had his brain, wrapped up in her own like a present and wrapping paper. Now that it was a mostly Time Lord brain, she could access his memories in earnest. She had not yet learned to set barriers, so I hesitantly dove in. I nudged away her own memories and thoughts, digging deeper until I was in the center.

This was the Doctor's mind.

Instead of images, I was immersed in a mist of stray thoughts and stardust. Memories were hard to find, his mind was a maze within a maze within a fog. I was locked inside, a puppet instead of a puppet master of thoughts.

"_Donna?_" I mentally called, but it came out like echoes through stars. "_Doctor?_" I whispered, for this was his brain. The echo was clear and strong, not my hesitant whisper. "_Donna?_" I repeated. They wouldn't stop echoing, "Doctor_Donna_Doctor_Donna_Doctor_Donna_," called my own voice from the shadows.

The Doctor's mind was nearly a physical manifestation. He was so strong, so old. Donna had full control of what she had attained, but it was born as his. I wondered why my mind would be like to an outsider.

Suddenly, the room turned to mist and dissolved. Donna was controlling her mind now, and showing me flickering memories. I tried to leave, but I was frozen. I couldn't move my body.

The mist formed into a large room. Martha, the Master, Jack, and Lucy stood below me. I seemed to be suspended in a cage of some sort. I was viewing the memory from the Doctor's eyes. The sound was slightly muted, but the words shone through

"...and that word is Doctor." A cold blue light surrounded me, and my point of view shifted. It became clearer, and I rose above the scene

"I've had a a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," the words came in the Doctor's voice, but from nowhere.

"I ORDER YOU TO STOP!" the Master yelled.

"The one thing you can't do is stop them thinking. Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this," I was actually floating in the air. The Master raised his laser screwdriver, and shot at me. The Doctor's voice continued, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Then I'll kill them," the Master pointed his screwdriver at the people in the room, but it flew out of his hand, and he began screaming, "You can't do this. You can't do this. IT'S NOT FAIR!"

"And you know what happens now," the Doctor's voice boomed over the Master's fearful cries. "You wouldn't listen, because you know what I'm going to say," the Master cowered, but I landed carefully on the floor. My emotions turned to shock as the Doctor took the Master in his arms and said, "I forgive you."

The room faded into white. The Master had told me that the Doctor had killed him, not forgave him. He lied, I realized suddenly, and I foolishly believed him. Another memory began to form, Donna wasn't finished.

Everything faded and I was brought back to a fuzzier memory. I was high above ground, fighting off a man who seemed to want to push me off. I realized with a jolt that this was the Master in a past regeneration. I fought him off, and turned away. The floor was sliding out from under me. The Doctor moved to disconnect a few cables. Sparks flew, and I was hanging by the cable, about to fall. I slipped, and the memory faded, this time into black. I was falling into darkness, fire and sound louder than anything.

I wasn't in the Doctor's mind anymore.

This wasn't a memory, it was a place. I was hopelessly trapped. My consciousness was being beat upon, over and over, with the same rhythm, a desire for destruction. I mentally cried out, _help me help me help me help me_ and then I was back in the med bay, my hands clutched tightly to Donna's temples, and the Master's fingers light upon my own. I was paralyzed for a moment, my head still banging. I watched the Master's face, his eyes closed as he freed my mind from Donna's clutches. I pushed him away and out of my mind.

I collapsed on the floor, my head in my hands, my eyes shut to the too-bright light. I could still hear them, the drumming and the war and the constant drumming closer and closer and so very loud.

"What is that?" I choked. The Master had purposely left an echo of the drums in my mind. I couldn't make them stop. "Will it stop?" I croaked.

I heard a chuckle, somehow, over the dim of the Master's drums still in my head. They weren't fading like they should, they seemed like they would last forever. I had the urge to run and hide, and yet I wanted for this to be over with and Gallifrey to be shining, _shining so that I could see it ground to dust underneath my feet over and over again_...I pushed the thoughts out of my head, they were not my own.

Then I opened my eyes and tried to return to sanity. The Master was ignoring me and talking to someone. A frowning member of medical staff puzzling over Donna. I took my chance, crawled a few feet and picked myself up. Then I ran, ran away from the man with the crazy drums in his head that were now in my head, too.


	20. Nowhere Else Left to Go

**Chapter 20 - Nowhere Else Left to Go  
**

"Doctor?" I called hoarsely. I had ran down to the cells again, exhausted. He stepped to the fence. I collapsed on the floor, leaned my side against the fence.

"What happened? Are you okay? Is Donna...?"

I took a few deep breaths.

"She's fine. Regenerated, she's a Time Lord, I think, sort of." He should have felt her presence, like I could. "I got stuck in your--her mind. They must have found me, paralyzed, and called the Master."

"What happened?" he said darkly.

"I fell into his mind."

"What's wrong?" he asked even though he knew, and knelt on his side of the fence, fingers twisting through the wire.

"The drums," I whimpered, "Can't you hear them?"

He breathed for a moment, considering. "They'll go away soon, they're just an echo," the Doctor said. He could probably take them away from me if he tried. I didn't ask, he didn't offer. "He wanted you to hear them after he got you out of there."

"Why does he hear drums?"

"He never told you," the Doctor said with realization. His words came in spurts, he was careful about stringing words together "He's not...not a normal Time Lord, Seren. He's insane. He says that he looked into the Untempered Schism and heard the drums. It's his call to --"

"War. Destruction and death at his hands," I finished. I could hear them myself, and feel the pull. I wanted to destroy so much, fight against _something_ – I stopped my thoughts, and choked out a sob. This was how the Master thought, his every action influenced by insanity. There was another awkward pause, one we didn't have time for. I changed the subject. "How did he get me out if I was locked in there? Why was I stuck? How did _he_ get through?"

"I don't know," he looked away involuntarily.

"It's _your_ mind."

"He's known me longer," he said at length. "Maybe it serves you right for snooping. Remember, Donna is controlling both minds now, not me. Is she alright?" he stressed.

"I don't know. I ran after that. We don't have much time," I reminded him.

"Okay, we better get talking then," he said as he looked around for approaching guards. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Seren. It's short, I know."

"There's more to tell."

"There isn't much. Grew up normal, started at the Academy -- Pyrdonian." A whisper of a smile flickered on his face. "A couple of decades in records, then the War." I didn't want to remember the details of my life. They were so boring, years and years spent in dusty archives or gathering records; a deglorified librarian. I had only been off-planet a few times, even through the war. What was left of the drums beat louder in my head at the thought of the Time War.

"Did you fight?" He said in a raw way, like an open wound of words coursing from his mouth.

"Yes." Of course. The drums beat louder.

"You stayed until the end."

It wasn't a question, but I answered anyways.

"Nearly."

We both paused, but he seemed to be reminded of the limited amount of time we had.

"What do you have to do with the Master, then?"

"He saved my life."

"And now you owe it to him?" We paused again. I gathered myself, stood up, ready to leave in a moment. He copied me, and pressed his forehead to the wire. "Look, you and I can--"

"I don't owe _you_ anything. I promised him, I--" I fumbled for English words that described what I had done. It was more than giving my word, more than an obligation. It was my life and my hearts, my sense of everything. I had to obey the Master until I had fully replayed the debt of my life. It wasn't a choice anymore. I whispered the true name of the promise, it was in Gallifreyian.

"I know. I'm so sorry. But you have to understand," the Doctor became even more serious, a look of heartbreak on his face, "The Earth hangs in the balance. It's too much to lose. If you check the calculations it doesn't add up. Earth will crack in two, dissolve into pieces, it will end in destruction. But that isn't enough to bring back Gallifrey. There is too much difference, it would go on to destroy more of--"

Sharp footsteps descending the stairs interrupted him. I ducked behind a stray crate, feeling quite useless. The Doctor quickly sat down on a crate inside his cell.

It was the Master, of course.

"Hiding won't do any good, Seren."

I guiltily came out from my hiding place. I was suddenly aware of tearstains on my face that I didn't remember being there before. I walked past the Doctor and Master, ready to run back to my room.

"Looks like today was Donna's lucky day," he said to the Doctor. The blood pounded in my veins forcefully, like the almost fading drums that were still in my head. "No more running off, Seren," he said sternly, never turning from the Doctor. "I won't let it slide again, especially not when I don't need you anymore." I lost my footing and spun to stare at his back. He had needed me, needed three Time Lords. That's why he wouldn't hurt me or the Doctor. Donna wasn't exactly a Time Lord, but she was Gallifreyian. It would be enough. Any of us could be the expendable.

I caught the Doctor's eye, he was scared for me.

"Stay away from them," he said as forcefully as he could, defending me as I had him. The new Time Lord had made all the difference.

I caught a chuckle from the Master and I half ran up the stairs. I could hear part of his conversation with the Doctor, one last word dripping with sarcasm.

"Kids."


	21. Two Sides of the Mirror

Thanks to trueroyalblue, for proofing this even though I DID NOT ASK HER TO. *sigh* Thanks to all of my readers, and especially my reviewers!

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**Chapter 21 - Two Sides of the Mirror  
**

I spent the next two days in my room with an aching headache. Two guards were stationed outside because of my rebellious actions. The Master had chuckled at the news that I'd knocked out a guard; he seemed almost proud. The few hours that I'd spent running around the moon base were fresh in my mind. I couldn't shake away the horror.

The drumbeats faded from my mind; they were never anything more than an echo. The Master had lived with them for years. They fueled his destructive actions.

I passed the time by opening my mind and trying to make some sort of contact with the Doctor or Donna. I worried about them. The Master could and probably would hurt one of them, or even me. I liked to think that he wouldn't hurt me, since I still had to help him. I didn't have a choice. I had helped the Doctor as much as I could. My life was now on the line; I had promised the Master my life and I had to obey him or die. I regretted my Gallifreyian promise, but I couldn't take it back.

I received no direct contact from any of the other Time Lords. Donna tried, but she only had the body of a Gallifreyian. She probably couldn't even regenerate. The Doctor had given up trying to contact me. I was scared for him.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to side with the Doctor. The Master was dangerous, insane. I had seen a different side of him since he had captured the Doctor. His ego grew with his power. Just as I would decide to take an action, I would remember my promise to the Master and his promise to me: Gallifrey. My glorious home would be back, the Universe would be back to its normal self -- but without Earth.

I didn't understand the Doctor's attachment to the planet. The people were so simple, little unimportant apes getting lucky, hopelessly behind the rest of the Universe. They didn't have much of a future. They were a joke, the cockroaches that you couldn't stamp out. The records of them lasted from their creation to the end of the universe; or as far as anyone had ever gone.

Earth had more potential than Gallifrey. The potential of the place was immense; Gallifrey didn't have as much. The Time Lords were content to stand by and watch, even with the reforms that I'd seen. Humankind had much more of a chance to change the universe somehow, through luck and were hard-to-beat people, and Time Lords seemed to be few and stale. We had had influence, but did not use it.

The Reflection Stone would use that. If the Master harnessed its power correctly, he could bring back Gallifrey. The stone was an energy converter. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but the stone converted the energies of destruction into almost anything. The Master had found the stone, had been the first Time Lord to actually touch it, and it imprinted on him. It needed the touch of three different living Gallifreyians to activate it properly.

The Master had explained to me about how Dalek Caan had broken through the Time Lock with Davros. The Reflection Stone must have fallen through the Medusa Cascade, and ended up at the Rift in Cardiff. I understood now that the drums had led the Master to the stone. They were his call to war, and the stone was the greatest accretion of destruction and warfare. It was like a magnet.

The Earth would be destroyed, its potential energy eaten away into the stone. With that great power, the Master would bring Gallifrey itself out of the Time Lock, leaving the rest of the Time War. In its final moments, Gallifrey would return, and the Time Lords with it. I would have a home again, a family. Why did humans deserve a home and people any more than I did? I was so much more, a Time Lady. I would have a family, friends, no empty feeling inside. I missed my old, simple life, stuck in archives with dust and books and the warm suns' light.

In a few hours it would begin. The Master would gather everyone in the main room and focus the stone's power on destroying the Earth, the closest source of power, and channel that energy. He would restore Gallifrey, and all he needed was two of the other Gallifreyians to activate the stone. He had originally intended to use me and the Doctor, but Donna complicated things. He didn't need one of us, so whoever acted out would be threatened. Either the Doctor or Donna would be forced to activate the stone. I would help the Master, I decided ultimately. I had to. I wanted to. I would do anything to get Gallifrey back.

Even sacrifice the Earth, and the 6 billion twisting and colorful time lines stretching out from it.


	22. Impact

**Chapter 22 - Caught in the Balance  
**

I arrived in the main room 30 minutes early, somehow the first to be there. I stood at the edge of the balcony, where I had spent my first long minutes here. It was out of the way, but a knot still formed in my stomach at the thought of being in front of so many people. The Master planned to put his plan into action at 10 AM exactly, and I wanted to feel those last seconds tick over my skin. I would remember the last moments without Gallifrey, for the planet and my people. I started at 1,800 seconds, slowly counting down and keeping perfect time.

126 seconds later, three sets of guards entered the room. One set ascended the stairs to the balcony and stood by the doors to the control room where I could tell the Master was. The other sets went to the doors below.

With 25 minutes to go, another group of guards wheeled the Doctor's TARDIS into the room. His TARDIS was still in the form of a police box, its chameleon circuit must be broken. I wondered what her part would be in the grand scheme of the Master's. I hadn't seen him since I was sent back to my room, so what he was planning now was a mystery. The guards then attached harnesses on the TARDIS, as if they were going to attach it to the crane that hung from the ceiling.

With 15 minutes to go, the Doctor's friends were escorted to the room at gunpoint. Jack scowled at me as he passed. Martha did not notice me, her face was set in a firm decision. I recognized the look on her face; she was preparing herself to kill the Master, if she got the chance. Lucy was not fond of her, but I couldn't see any flaws. She was brave. Grace was lost, out of her depth. I knew little of her except her name. With another look from Jack, my legs screamed at me to get out of the room. I compromised by not breathing for several minutes. He was disgusting and wrong, a stupid human turned into much more. I held my ground and watched them walk down the stairs, handcuffs jingling, guns pointed at them.

I wondered why the guards had guns, they could be dangerous in a spaceship. The Master probably figured that no one would have to use them.

With 10 minutes to go, Donna and the Doctor were dragged in. They came from opposite directions and were also cuffed. Of all the people in the room, they were the most dangerous because of their intellect. They were also the most valuable. Their guards removed the cuffs but held them tightly by the arms.

Donna was simmering, preparing herself. I was doubtful of how Gallifreyian she really was. I could see her potential spiraling around her, but more than a few timelines ended around her as well. She was an accident waiting to happen, like Jack but more dangerous. I had helped to create her. It was amazing.

7 minutes to go. The audience was assembled, spirits low and tensions high. Behind my balcony spot, the doors to the control room slid open. The Master stepped out.

I almost expected his entrance to be musical, a soundtrack for destroying a world. He wore a simple tailored black suit and tie, the opposite of the Doctor's eccentric yet classy appearance. I felt out of place, like a teenager in a t-shirt and jeans. The few people that even noticed me looked down on me. I appeared to be young, as almost as young as I would have been treated on Gallifrey.

The Master walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned over the railing. He smiled over his prisoners. "Hello everyone!" he said cheerfully, and slithered down the stairs. He walked to the side of the TARDIS. 403 seconds to go. A crane on the ceiling lifted a large section of the floor and set it a few feet away. It was a huge chunk of white. Then, guards attached the crane to the harnesses on the TARDIS. The TARDIS was lifted into the hole; it was so deep that it was only visible from the windows up. Suddenly, the entire moon jolted slightly. I knew that only the Doctor, Master, Donna and I could feel it, but I understood what it meant. I could feel the TARDIS attaching to the moon, to keep us safe. The Master had adjusted her to keep the Moon --and the base attached-- in orbit even after the Earth was destroyed.

"The Doctor's TARDIS is anchoring to the moon," the Master explained for the humans. "So, when we destroy the Earth, we don't go haywire as well." 278 seconds. "Seren," he called, and I was finally noticed from my spot in the balcony. I reluctantly descended the stairs and stood at the front of the room, in front of everyone.

The knot in my stomach tightened until I felt physically sick. Some people still did not understand why I was here. I heard a technician whisper to another, "Is she the Master's daughter?". Oh, God no. I wished I would have regenerated into someone older. I tried not to focus on the insignificants in the room, my role in the upcoming show of destruction, and the resulting headache. Oh, what rules I would break to bring rules back to this Universe.

264 seconds, I thought. We were lined up in front of the Master. Me, the Doctor, and Donna facing him.

"Now, I thought long and hard about who would have the honors of helping me to destroy the Earth and restore Gallifrey. And, I think that _you_ should choose," the said happily. My stomach twisted itself out of existence. I was dizzy. I couldn't move.

"No volunteers?" the Master pouted. "Okay, how about," he tilted his head to the side, "…the Doctor?!" He smiled obviously. The Doctor's guard shoved him forward by the shoulders.

"One more," he taunted. I remembered to breathe for the first time in 12 minutes. It didn't help much.

"I will," Donna said firmly. I looked to her in surprise. Why would she taint her hands with so much blood? She was..._protecting_ me, I realized. I couldn't let her take the blame. I stepped forward without thinking.

"I'll do it," I looked the Master in the eye and didn't give him a choice. Even if I seemed like a harder candidate than Donna, I would do this. I would scatter the Earth's ashes myself, carve the gravestone, leave the flowers if it meant Gallifrey was back.

2 minutes to go, exactly. I could feel the timelines begin to twist around everyone. The Master, the Doctor and I were essential, coiled together by invisible snakes of time and destiny. Donna's was coming to an end, I wanted to warn her, but I could see her face: she knew and she was planning something. Good for her, I thought. I wanted to stop myself, but not more than I wanted Gallifrey back.

Everything was strangely silent, ticking away. If the Master was giving a speech, I didn't hear it, my hearts were pounding faster and faster and...30 seconds.

"...And so, a new era begins," the Master said loudly. My ears hurt, but my stomach hurt too and my brain was aching.

The Master held out the stone in the palm of his hand. It was small and red, carved with old, old Gallifreyian symbols untranslatable to English.

"Put your finger on it," he said. "It will be enough to activate it."

A guard grabbed the Doctor's arm and forced him to touch the stone. The Master held it out to me. I tried not to think about it and brushed my finger against the stone. It was done. Our DNA activated it. The Master suddenly closed his hand around the stone, so he could channel the raw power. I stepped backwards. I turned to the large window, it's purpose became clear as the stone started working.

It was low at first, somewhere on Earth cracks were forming in the ground. The death and destruction caused by those first few actions fueled more, then the energy escalated. I watched with awe as visible cracks formed in land and sea, lights going off across the entire planet.

The Earth shattered.

Even though we were anchored to the TARDIS, I felt the impact break into us like a wave. Through a convenient window I saw the Earth, a crack formed straight thorough it. So much death, but still not enough. The Doctor and I were standing the closest to the Master, and were only a few feet away. We were suddenly forced back by an invisible barrier and knocked from our feet. I shielded my eyes from the brilliant light.

The Master stood completely still, his eyes were closed almost peacefully and a red energy radiated from him. He was bright with power and glory, death at his finger tips, the stone clutched in his hands and running through his veins. The Earth was on fire, death and destruction and hate burning it. A smile slowly formed on his face, until the Master was grinning and the world was ending.

I could hear the sounds of the people in the moon base whimpering and crying. The Earth's death was silent and strangely muted, no sound carried through space. The Moon creaked and thundered as the TARDIS held it in place. The TARDIS itself whirred in the background, engines bursting and moving with a strain as it fought to keep the moon steady.

Then, everyone screamed as we were again thrown on a shockwave. I fell into the Doctor, and we landed on the floor. He grabbed a hold of my arm, keeping me from standing up and being flung to the floor again.

"I'm s--" The moon creaked loudly as we were yet again thrown about. The screams didn't stop, the crying escalated with the booming volume of the moon until it was a living hell. My thoughts numbed, my stomach untwisted and I had no headache. I had broken so many laws, and yet my body released me. Gallifrey was coming back, I told myself. I didn't feel it quite yet, but I hoped that I would soon.

"Martha!" The Doctor yelled above the noise. I turned around, Martha was stumbling towards the Master, gun in hand. It was like watching someone running against a strong wind, she was pushed back by the force filed that he had created. My breath caught in my throat. I had to stop her, I didn't want to but my body screamed at me. It was the promise I'd made. I owed him my life, even now. "No," the Doctor whispered, but I somehow heard him over the noise and the thunder in my ears.

I shook out of the Doctor's grip and stood up, taking a few steps forward. The Doctor stood and grabbed my shoulder, but I wrenched away with all of my strength. I _had_ to protect the Master. I could hardly control my actions. He wouldn't regenerate if a bullet killed him now. He was at his most vulnerable, if he didn't see Martha she would kill him. There was nothing holding me back now, I stumbled a few feet away from Martha and a few feet from the Master.

Martha held the gun in front of her. She hesitated, then fired a bullet at the Master, but she missed or he deflected it. The next shot would kill him, I could see the timelines curled around the next bullet, weaving death. I did not have a choice, I had to save him, and what was left of Gallifrey, and all of us. I had promised him, he had saved my life and I owed him it. I screamed almost soundlessly.

I threw myself in front of the Master. Martha's finger was already curled over the trigger and it had already clicked into place, she couldn't turn back. The world became silent, I could feel time etching and twisting around me instead of the bullet. I had flung myself helpfully between it and him. I could feel time making adjustments, changing timelines, my future, his future, Martha's.

I took a deep breath before impact.


	23. Endings

**Chapter 23 - Endings  
**

The bullet collided with me, spinning and twisting into my lower stomach. I was dying. The room spun around me, my hand clutched my stomach. I gasped for breath, choking on air. I concentrated on holding back the pain and regeneration. I could fight off a full regeneration until this was over.

Martha wasn't done firing. She was undaunted by shooting me, she was a soldier. She pointed the gun steadily at the Master.

"Martha!" the Doctor yelled, but she either didn't trust his judgment or didn't hear him. The next bullet was directed perfectly. I felt no need to stop this one. I had given this regeneration to him, my debt was paid. I was free.

He sensed it somehow, and the Master's eyes opened. They were a burning red, shining from inside. The bullet slowed on its route and dissolved into dust before my eyes. The Master turned to Martha and smiled. A wind seemed to blow against Martha alone; she was pushed back and back, then she collapsed. The Master held an open hand to her and she screamed. Donna fought off her stunned guard and held Martha in her lap. She was dying. The Master had used his powers to kill her.

A few people ran to her, but I was lying on the ground as well, and couldn't see who they were. I crawled the few feet to the dying woman, gritting my teeth.

"I'm sorry," Martha gasped, maybe to me, maybe to no one in particular. We were both dying, crying, yet sacrificing ourselves for completely different reasons.

I didn't reply. She had destroyed me, yet set me free. Donna mumbled to her and squeezed her hand. It slipped from her hands, fading and literally dissolving. She was turning to dust, dust in Donna's lap and on the floor. Tears streamed from Donna's eyes and Jack shouted, mourning Martha in all her bravery and glory. The Master had used his powers to kill her. She had killed me, died to save the Earth and failed in the process. I turned my head a fraction to look at the Master, he was _laughing_. It was his revenge. Martha was dust.

I stood up. It used all of my strength, but I could not just sit and watch him destroy everything. I understood now, this power, the power from the stone, it would not be enough. He would destroy half of the Universe and rule the rest. He would be the true Master of the Universe. Gallifrey wasn't coming back, I couldn't feel it. I could feel it being pushed farther and farther away as he fixed the Time Lock, erased the Daleks. Donna began to fade behind me as the Master began to destroy her, too. She was my own creation, a Gallifreyian, no, a Time Lady. The only other Time Lady in existence.

The Doctor, the Master, and I. We were all that was truly left of Gallifrey, all that would ever be left, all that the Master would let live during his reign of forever over the Universe. He would win, and it made me sick to my stomach that I had helped him and been fooled by his petty excuses.

The Doctor was still standing in front of the Master, his body leaned forward as he tried to move against the force that the Master caused. He couldn't move, he was trapped by an invisible shield. It didn't touch me.

The Master didn't prevent me from walking to him. I was injured, not a threat to him. The Master completely ignored me. He may have even thought that I was going to beg for him to heal me. However, he didn't respond to me, but stood as still as a statue, back to the window. I saw the Earth being ripped farther apart through the window. The Sun and the planets in the distance were dying, too. The power inside the stone powered the destruction of the Earth which powered the destruction of the Sun which powered more and more destruction, until there was a never ending cycle of destruction.

I could see the stone. It was fused to the flesh of the Master's palm in a sickening way. Suddenly, the moon lurched on another shock wave. I grabbed a hold of a railing on the wall as we lurched violently. The Master was knocked to his feet, one hand still clutching the stone, and the other barely breaking his fall. His eyes opened slightly and I saw the red energy glow and grow inside of him. I reached out a hand as if to help him stand up and the skin on the palm of my hand touched red hot stone.

I felt the energy blast into my skin violently; I felt like I was falling apart. It ran through my veins at the first contact, increasing with heat until I was on fire with energy. I did not have the control of the stone as the Master did, but I knew that I could shut it down. I had to try, like I had tried with Donna. I squeezed the Master's hand with all of my strength, in case he would pull away. I stumbled again, but suddenly the Doctor caught my other hand and held me upright. He grabbed the Master's free hand, completing the circuit. We both concentrated on the stone, feeding the energy around, and back into it.

The Reflection stone burned between the Master's hand and my own. It burned more than the bullet still lodged in my gut. It grew blisteringly hot and I could hardly feel the bullet. The pain was so much I had to let go, but I _couldn't_ and _wouldn't_. I was burning and dying, burning and dying, the last true Time Lady, a survivor. I was burning for Gallifrey and Earth. Burning for Earth and humans, the Doctor, Donna. I wanted it to stop, I wanted to die and be released from this horrible pain and just be...and...it stopped.

The moon stopped quaking about, the Universe stopped its destruction and death and Time stopped, and the pain stopped, and I stopped dying from the bullet, and the noises of everything stopped. Heartbreaking silence rang through my ears, and I wondered if I was really dead and where was that light coming from? Maybe I was dead, painless and in Heaven or Hell or both and...Time began again.

The Universe twisted and healed. The stone became like ice instead of fire until it too crumbled into dust, like Martha, and I was simply holding onto the Doctor and the Master's hands so that I wouldn't fall apart and because of the pain, the pain in my gut was back. It was a comfort compared to the pain of the stone.

Everyone was full of tears, cheering, hysterical laughter, and joy, excluding the Doctor, Master, Donna, and I. I assumed that the Earth was healing itself, reversing the damage. Everyone would live...almost. There would be casualties, Martha, myself, and people that would not come back. They were so lucky to have survived. My people had not. I felt the Master's hand slip from my own, but the Doctor's didn't.

The Master mumbled weakly beside me, "Not again." The Doctor almost smiled at him; he had won. I weakly smiled as Donna appeared. I dropped the Doctor's hand and clutched my stomach. Blood was seeping through my shirt. The regeneration was approaching, but I held it back. Donna grabbed a hold of my bloody hand. It was the same hand that had been seared by the Reflection stone, but it was seemingly untouched. I coughed, and I realized that I was on the floor. I didn't remember falling and I hadn't hurt myself on the way down.

I looked up, because up was where everyone else was, and saw that the Master had uncharacteristically caught me. He was holding my head upright, and I was really _dying_ now.

"You're going to be okay, you -" the Doctor knelt next to my broken form. He stopped mid-sentence, for the Master had spoken. I didn't hear what he said, my ears were roaring.

"I don't owe you anything, not anymore," I gasped as a response. I was really dying, dying and beginning to regenerate. I fought off the light as hard as I could, staying in the safe twilight of death for a little longer.

"Oh, don't say that," the Master shrugged away, rolling his eyes, "You can owe me your life any day."

"I'm sorry I ruined your evil plans," I said sarcastically. The Doctor squeezed my hand tightly, telling me to give in and regenerate and be rid of the pain. It was pain as I deserved, even though I'd lost so much stopping this.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I'm sorry it had to be like this."

"Goodbye," I whispered. His face turned dark.

"This isn't goodbye."

"Maybe it is. I can't...I have nothing left." I could accept death more easily than rebirth. I had nothing to The Master smiled slightly out of the corner of my eye.

"But...you're...we're the last -"

Donna gave him a look that was more Donna than Doctor. She patted my hair and whispered, "It's okay sweetheart, you can let go," in my ear. I hardly heard their words, I gathered my last strength. I didn't want to start over. I had been through so much pain, I just wanted to stop and rest. I wanted to finally live in the stars, so alone. I had destroyed so much, yet repaired it. I was the last true Time Lady. Somehow, I felt a duty, it was in Donna's hand and the Doctor's pleading. I took a gasping breath.

"Please…just let me be…"

The two heroes shared a look before they stepped back, to give me distance and respect. The Master barely hesitated to push away. I closed my eyes, trying not to think of my human audience. This would be tough, I had given Donna so much of my regeneration energy, and been through too much of a strain before I began to heal myself.

Life...or death.

I finally gave in, and drifted into the light that I thought was my new life. The energy came, like adrenaline and flying, so fast that I needed to crash to stop. I exploded in light. I was flooded with beautiful regenerative energy, a volcano of orange, pink, and green light. I concentrated carefully, I would only have one chance to choose a body this time. I couldn't picture it perfectly, so I had to concentrate on myself as I formed.

I wanted to be older, an adult. I released myself from my awkward teenage chains and tried for 20 or so human years in appearance. It was how I would have been treated on Gallifrey. Then, I formed my new head and concentrated on my face. First, my chin, then a rounded nose, rounded cheeks, a full forehead, pouting lips, and large eyes. I would look like a less than average human to anyone that saw me. My hair grew and changed. It was taller and weighed more, I felt like the already too-heavy gravity had increased. The regeneration was almost over, I patiently waited the last few seconds and relaxed on the warm moon base floor.

I opened my eyes, sat up, and glanced at the staring humans. It was all over.


	24. Aftershocks

**Chapter 24 - Aftershocks  
**

"Thank you," the Doctor whispered, so not even Donna could hear him. "Are you okay?" he asked me in a louder voice. I nodded, not yet ready to test my new voice. "Is everyone all right?" He said loudly. A few people nodded numbly. The Doctor walked over to the Master. I wasn't sure what I expected him to do, but he held out his hand and the Master handed him his laser screwdriver and what appeared to be a sonic screwdriver.

With a flick of the sonic, the TARDIS was lifted from the hole in the ground. The Doctor used his tool to direct it to the floor, and unattached the harnesses with a few more buzzes. He disappeared into his TARDIS without a word.

I looked around. Some people were stumbling, but most were staring out the window and at the renewed Earth in shock. They had completely forgotten about the Master. Donna walked over to me and helped me to stand up.

"How are you doing?" she asked gently. I was dizzy and almost fell, but she anticipated it and slid a chair underneath me.

"I'm fine. Does the-oh my god, my voice!" My voice was completely different. I grew even more dizzy. I needed rest, now. The psychic energy from Donna, the Doctor, and the Master buzzed violently in my head. I needed to be free of it. The Universe's sudden changes of right and wrong flooded through my mind.

"You still sound British," Donna said less than helpfully.

"You sound human," I teased, "I don't suppose he still has a Zero Room?" I asked hopefully.

"No," Donna said, "I'll go and make you some tea," she said sympathetically. I thanked her and she left for the kitchens, probably glad to get away from the chaos.

The Doctor emerged from his TARDIS.

"Everything back to normal. Time rewound," he simplified for his friends.

"No one died?" Grace asked. She seemed somewhat insignificant.

"Martha did," the Doctor said quietly, "and that's more than enough for me." I looked down, afraid of the Doctor's stern gaze.

I knew that people had to have been caught in the troubles. The Universe didn't heal so easily. Planets would have been lost, people would disappear, or die suddenly, and some would live that were meant to die.

"Earth is fine?" Jack asked. A glance from him, and a wave of fury and wrongness hit me with a splitting headache.

"They're fine," he said, and it was for the benefit of the humans. I realized what I had done to them in a moment. I was so stupid. The Master tricked me in such an obvious way. I just wanted Gallifrey back. I wanted to go _home_. The Doctor turned to face the Master, but he had other ideas. He ran to the doors, leaving the Doctor with the farmiliar look of déjà vu on his face.

Donna appeared, tea in hand.

"You're not going anywhere," she said sternly.

"Really? Like you can overpower me," the Master stepped closer.

"It's the_ moon_. Face it, you have nowhere to go."

The Master laughed and turned to the Doctor.

"Is this it, then?" he laughed, "We get a heartwarming speech and you take me away in the TARDIS. But that's not all, because Donna will want to come too! And Seren, oh, she does the same things as me but she'll get off with a pat on the back. While I am _stuck_ with you!" He threw his hands into the air for emphasis. It seemed like a stale argument.

"I can't let you go," the Doctor said.

"You can't keep him, either," Jack spoke up and strode across the room. "He destroyed a third of the Universe!"

"Just like old times," he smiled. Jack seemed to want to strike him.

"You've killed so many, enslaved the Earth, destroyed the Universe, you killed Martha!" Jack yelled.

"And I get all the blame, I always do, even when Seren did just as much, she'll just get a slap on the wrist and--"

"ENOUGH!" The Doctor said loudly. He was not mad, but disappointed.

"I want everyone to understand my decision," the Doctor yelled to the room. "My planet is gone. I've accepted that," he said the last sentence with turmoil on his face. "The Master, Seren and I are the only ones left. We cannot let anything separate us, even the most horrible acts," he glanced at me and then looked the Master in the face, "...Must be forgiven. If anyone has a problem with that, they will take it up with _me_. Not these people. No one person will take the blame."

No one challenged him. The Doctor's tone changed as he turned back to the Master.

"I said it before. You are my responsibility," the Doctor said quietly so that only the Master and I could hear. I expected the Master to spit in his face. "Seren, your locket," he said to me and held his hand out. I was still wearing it, I realized with some surprise. I stepped forward and handed it to the Doctor. He held the sonic screwdriver to it, but I wasn't sure what he had done.

The Doctor grabbed the Master's hand roughly. He opened the locket and shoved it into the Master's hand. He tried to shake it off, but it stuck to his skin like the Reflection stone had.

"What are you doing?" the Master yelled. A golden light engulfed him and disappeared. He was gone, the locket clanged shut when it hit the floor.

"Is he dead?" Grace asked from across the room. I looked at her in surprise. I had forgotten that she was there again.

"No," the Doctor said. His hair stood up on end and his face turned dark. "He's in here," he picked up my old locket and held it up for everyone to see. The chain hadn't slipped off of it, it was still a necklace and a keepsake that I had never actually looked at. The perception filter was broken, but it held a Time Lord consciousness. The Master had used the anomaly, Jenny, to have a body, but he was always unstable. If the Doctor ever released him, he would need to use the Rift in Cardiff again.

The Doctor slipped the locket into a pocket directly over where I knew one of his hearts to be. He looked to me, and I knew what was next. I would not walk completely free of this. I had betrayed everyone, broken Laws of Time to restore Gallifrey, and failed. I was stupid and conceited, and I would be punished.

I stepped forward. My regeneration energy hadn't yet faded, I was full of energy and adrenaline. I could easily fight off the Doctor, but I wouldn't. I couldn't run away. Where would I go?

The Doctor stood in front of me, both of us completely still. I prepared for the worst. His face was the definition of calm. He had a strangled look in his eyes, like he was happy that I was alive but upset that I had made these decisions. He was shrouded in inner pain and turmoil. It was a more painful look than I'd seen when he faced the Master, which scared me more than anything else. I held back tears and looked into his old eyes. They were so much older than mine, they'd seen so much more and held back everything.

The Doctor laid his hand on my shoulder. I let go, then, I let all of my emotion bubble on the surface. I began to really cry in earnest, sobbing for my lost and my people and my mistakes. There was no pity on the blurry faces of the people assembled, they were witnesses to my betrayal.

"It's okay," the Doctor said, taking me in his arms. I cried into his shoulder and he rocked me from side to side, as if he was comforting a child.

"I killed them," I sobbed. I was crying so hard that it hurt, and I was already weakened by a bad regeneration.

"I know how it feels," he whispered in my ear. I felt like a child next to him. "But you saved them. That's something I never did. These people, these beautiful humans and the beautiful Universe, you saved all of them. You saved Donna, you saved me, you saved the Master. You saved me just by being here, by running."

"I'm a coward," I thought of the Time War.

"You did what you had to. If you didn't run..." He trailed off. I gulped, trying to take back my tears.

"It's okay to cry," he said. And I did, I stood there and cried into his shoulder.

It was the end of this great adventure, with only strings to tie up and knots to untangle.


	25. New Adventures

**Chapter 25 – New Adventures  
**

Donna shuffled me into the TARDIS and away from the blaming eyes of the humans. I found new and fitting clothes. When I came back to the console room, it was crowded with people. The Doctor took the entire population of the moon base back to Earth. Donna and I helped him fly, but I didn't join in with their enthusiasm. Jack shot me one last dirty look; he blamed me for Martha's death. Before she left, Grace patted my shoulder and told me to look after the Doctor.

We dropped off everyone in London. A few passerby stared as 60 amused and confused people came out of a little blue box. When everyone was gone, I piloted the TARDIS to last August, and handed the Doctor a letter. It was a paradox, but a small one. I explained to him, and he returned briefly.

Afterwords, Donna insisted that she take us to Martha's family. The Doctor and Donna left me behind in the TARDIS. I was surprised by their trust. I wouldn't let myself watch them on the scanner, so I roamed the TARDIS's hallways until I found a mirror standing awkwardly in a hallway.

My hair was a long and wavy brown-maroon. I pushed my new bangs off of my face; my eyes were light blue, cold and not pretty. My face was common and slightly squashed, my nose too small. I was an average height, thankfully. My figure was a little thick, but I could work off any extra weight that I gained. I smiled, and it fit my face. I stood in front of the mirror, running my fingertips over my cheekbones and staring into my own eyes. It felt so weird, being in a different skin. I didn't feel like my personality had changed at all.

"I've stood there before," the Doctor appeared behind me. I didn't turn, but watched him carefully in the mirror. "After a tough regeneration. It never gets old."

I finally turned around and walked silently with him back to the console room. Donna was silently crying in the chair. The Doctor grabbed me by the elbow and led me to the kitchen instead.

"She can't regenerate," the Doctor said about Donna. "It would have been even more of a miracle. You had a really tough time with her, didn't you? You poured years of yourself into her."

"That's why the regeneration was so hard," I said. I was still feeling some ill after-effects.

"That was brave. Doing that to save her." He sat down at the table, with two cups of tea. I pulled out a chair.

"I did that so that you would talk to me," I said honestly.

"You thought of Natasha," he referenced the first person that the Master had killed. "And you realized what you had done in the end. You saved the Universe."

"First I helped to destroy it," I argued. I didn't deserve to be free.

"I destroyed Gallifrey," the Doctor countered. "There was no going back from that. I knew what I was doing. I'm sorry for that, I took it all away, I caused this."

I stood up suddenly, and my chair fell over. I turned to the refrigerator, glancing over a few tacked up pictures. The Doctor stood up, too, and crossed hims arms.

"I forgive you," he said, with the tone of someone who'd said it too often. I looked at the floor. When I turned he was gone; and my conscience clearer.

* * *

It felt like decades later, but only a few days had passed in the TARDIS when that the Doctor handed me a small wooden box engraved with simple designs and a single lily.

"Some of Martha's ashes are inside," he said quietly, speaking of the dust that he had collected for her family. It was all that was left of Martha. I held the box and watched him pilot the TARDIS alone. Donna entered the room silently.

He opened the outer doors. We were suspended above a brilliant supernova. I didn't know which star it had been and I didn't ask, this was a time for silence. We stood at the edge of the TARDIS doors, staring into the painfully bright light of a dying star.

The Doctor stood between me and Donna and opened the box. He handed it to me, and his sparkling eyes said everything. He wanted me to forgive her for killing me.

"Goodbye, Martha," he said simply. "This star is yours. You deserved just as much." I took the dust in my hand and threw it out of the TARDIS and into the star. It floated gently out of sight and into the bright light.

I stood at the doors for awhile afterwords, staring at the star from behind the force field. Martha was gone, so was my planet and people. The Doctor and I were the last Time Lords; the Master wasn't in the picture for now. Now that there was no hope, I finally could say goodbye. I closed the TARDIS doors and piloted it, alone, smoothly into the vortex.

* * *

After we had left Martha's star, the Doctor landed on Earth again. Donna left briefly to visit her grandfather and mother.

"What happens now?" I asked the Doctor. He was under the console, making adjustments to the TARDIS. He ducked out from under the wires and stood up to face me.

"You could come with me."

"Traveling? Like Donna?" I asked. Donna was telling her family that her memory was back, that she was okay, and that she was leaving again. She would travel with the Doctor for a long time.

"It's your choice. You could make your home wherever you like. Live the rest of your regenerations on Earth," he looked down, "or anywhere you like, really. You could grow your own TARDIS." I considered his offer. As much as I wanted to be free of my past, I couldn't live on my own. The Doctor patiently waited for my response.

"I can come with you?" I asked, "Helping you save planets and people?" He nodded. "Interfering?"

"To a certain degree," he swallowed. "I was wrong, before. I shouldn't have messed with time. I don't change fixed moments. Some things are not for me to decide." They weren't for me to decide, either, I thought. But I hesitated to refuse.

"I'll stay," I said finally. "I'll come with you and Donna, if you'll have me."

He smiled. Then, he seemed to remember something and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out my old locket, with the chain still attached and the Master's Time Lord consciousness still inside. He took my hand and placed the locket in my palm, curling my fingers around it.

"It's yours, then," he looked into my eyes. There would be no arguments.

"You're trusting me with this?" He turned and walked back to the console in way of reply.

"Just don't get too attached," he said lightly.

Suddenly, the doors flew open and in walked Donna.

"Hello!" She surveyed the serious scene. "What are you doing just standing around here then?" she said loudly. The Doctor flicked a switch and the doors swung shut. "You coming with us?" she asked me. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't tell me you haven't asked yet," she said in disbelief.

"Yes, I am," I laughed.

We all smiled, and stood around the TARDIS, ready to go anywhere and everywhere.

I sighed with content and ran my fingers over the humming controls.

"Where to?"

_ End_

* * *

**Author's Note:** This fanfiction took me a long time to write. It has been my biggest challenge, but I could never let go of the idea. I did not have a beta reader, which made it much more difficult. I'm really happy with the result, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped me with the writing process and all of my reviewers. It's been a long, wild journey, and this story has meant more to me than it probably should.

**Thank Yous:**

Thanks to my real life friends Andrea, Keenan, Hallie, Danielle, Katie, Carson, and Mariah. You have supported me since that first paragraph, even though you think fanfiction is the lamest thing ever. Thank you for the input and character inspiration.

_"[You] can't set up a character for failure, they have to do it themselves." - Mariah_

A giant thank you to Stephanie (trueroyalblue) and Allison, who have helped me more than anyone else with writing.

_"Stick him on Mars! With a SPOON!" "He'd make friends with the Martians." "Or you could put him IN the spoon." - Allison_

Last, I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers! Thanks for reading and sending me your reactions. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated!


	26. Epilogue

**AN: **I'm really nostalgic about dates and anniversaries and things, and I wanted to post something for the one year anniversary of the day I finished this fic. (It took me awhile to edit it and finally publish it.) I originally had ideas for two more sequels to this fanfiction, and even wrote out plotlines, but they didn't fit the original spirit of this story and I decided to leave well enough alone. I hope you enjoy reading it, it's purposely vague and everything (including character relationships) is up for interpretation.

References the Sarah Jane Adventures and Scream of the Shalka, no spoilers.

* * *

**Epilogue  
**

"Seren?" I looked up from my book. Jenny was standing, nearly bouncing, at my bedroom door, her blonde ponytail jumping from side to side.

"Yeah?" I bookmarked my place and sat up on my bed.

"Can we visit Dad?" she asked. I sighed.

"We just did."

"That was nearly a month ago," she countered. "What if something is wrong?" she continued, what if..." she babbled on and on, listing different tragic fates that the Doctor could have suffered in the 3 weeks of relative time since we'd last ran into him. I grabbed the blonde Time Lady's wrist and dragged her to the console room as she explained multiple tragic fates.

The room wasn't very large, but it it had a high ceiling, and was decorated in a blue theme. The console was made of a dark blue glass-like material, the buttons and levers of my TARDIS set into the wavy glass, among bubbles and wires. A blackish metal held the pieces together and seemed to seamlessly flow into the black metal grate that worked as a floor. The Time Rotor was the same blueish glass of the console, but unconnected to the ceiling. In the center of it, the piece of orange TARDIS coral from which I had grown him was rising in sync with the other pipes of the Time Rotor. We were floating gently through the Time Vortex.

Luke was sitting in what I fondly called my captain's chair, talking to someone on the screen.

"Luke, I'm sorry, Jenny wants to visit the Doctor," I said, looking over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

"Oh, tell him I said hello!" Sarah Jane Smith's voice crackled through the speakers. I was surprised to see Maria Jackson, Luke's old friend, on the screen as well. She piped in, "Yeah, visit soon, Luke!"

"And be careful," Sarah Jane added, "I love you."

"Bye, mum, Maria," he said quickly, "Love you too!" I punched a button on the TARDIS that cut of the connection to Mr. Smith.

"What's Maria doing back?" I asked, a little coldly.

"She's been out of college a few years, too...got a job working with Torchwood," Luke said quickly, "she stopped in to see mum." Jenny looked from me to Luke, tapping her foot impatiently. She nearly dived at the console, and set to work attempting to find the Doctor's TARDIS. Her worries wasn't completely unfounded.

"Look, Jenny," I said softly, "the Doctor is fine. He's got the Master to handle, he probably has his hands full enough with that." Jenny still wasn't satisfied.

"He's clever, you of all people should know that. _I_ should know." She glared at me, and I sighed, thinking of how the Master had treated us both.

"But he helped to bring you back," Luke argued. "He can't be completely evil." I glared at him for encouraging her.

"That was only because it helped to bring _him_ back," she pouted. "At least let me call him," she added, pulling out the puppy dog eyes that had to be genetic.

"Jenny, I've called him before, and haven't gotten an answer," I said. I had meant to be reassuring, but it came out wrong. She haphazardly began to set the controls search for the Doctor's TARDIS in the vortex. "What I mean is, I keep getting the answering machine. I don't think they've checked it or changed the message in the past 200 years..." I caught Luke laughing out of the corner of my eye.

"But-"

"The Doctor has been meddling with worse things for nearly a thousand years. He's fine." Luke snorted at me, and Jenny stepped back from the console uneasily.

"Well, if you're su-AH!" She screamed as she was flung to the floor.

My TARDIS jolted back suddenly, then threw us forward, ripping through the time vortex. Luke, Jenny, and I were tossed about, each of us attempting to reach the console or railings to hold on.

"Woohoo!" Luke yelled with joy. I grabbed a hold of the console, quickly checking the readings before attempting to stabilize us.

"Jenny, what did you do?" I yelled over the roar of the engines, slamming down the lever that controlled the brakes, which only made the ruckus louder.

"Nothing! I just set him to find and track the other TARDIS' time signature!" I groaned and pressed a few buttons, but they only seemed to make us fly faster. Jenny still didn't know how to fly the TARDIS, even though I'd tried to teach both her and Luke. My companions looked to me questioningly.

"Where are you we going, Seren?" Luke called.

"I don't know!"

I caught his eye and his grin as we spun around, sparks flying everywhere as our TARDIS was pulled towards the vortex like a magnet. With a sudden halt, we stopped. I stood up shakily, looking from the screen to Luke and Jenny, making sure everything was alright.

"What was that?" Jenny grinned.

"It was like we were being pulled through the vortex..." Luke trailed off, typing several commands into the TARDIS before I had a chance.

"I think..." I took a deep breath, afraid to answer their questioning eyes. The screen lit up with symbols and messages, and I gasped. Jenny read them at a slower pace, then looked to me.

"How can they-?"

"I don't-"

"What are you two talking about?" Luke interrupted us, staring at the Gallifreyan symbols with a confused look on his face. I rushed to the doors, Luke and Jenny following me, and threw them open to reveal the interior of the TARDIS we had landed in. Nervously, I peered outside. My jaw dropped and evolved into a giant grin.

"President Romana!"

_The End_


End file.
